Leader of Spanish Hells Angels chapter acquitted following trial

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's High Court on Tuesday acquitted a German national accused of heading a crime ring linked to the Hells Angels motorcycle club following a collective trial of 45 of its alleged members over their activities on the resort island of Mallorca almost a decade ago.

The defendants faced a slew of charges that included extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, pandering and unlawful possession of firearms.

Frank Hanebuth, who rose through the Hells Angels ranks in the German city of Hanover before allegedly leading the club's Mallorca branch, was cleared of all charges. The prosecution had requested a prison sentence of up to 13 years and a 4.2 million euro ($4.45 million) fine.

The court also absolved all defendants of belonging to a criminal organisation, saying this had not been proven as fact.

Of the 45 people originally indicted for a trial that kicked off in January, 35 had already entered into plea deals with prosecutors, receiving maximum prison sentences of two years. Mitigating factors such as the trial's undue delay also led to lighter penalties.

Khalil Youssafi was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison, but the penalty was replaced by a fine following his plea agreement.

His brother Abdelghani Youssafi, however, did not bargain with the prosecution and was sentenced to two years in prison on a prostitution felony but acquitted of all other charges.

Paul Engelke, considered to be Hanebuth's right-hand man, was sentenced to one year and six months' imprisonment for making threats and covering up crimes.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which was formed in the United States in 1948 and has some 5,000 members at about 350 branches - dubbed "chapters" - around the world, founded its Mallorca chapter in 2009, according to Spanish authorities.

In 2013, Spanish police clamped down on the Mallorca chapter, which was mostly made up of German and Turkish members.

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(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Emma Pinedo and Timothy Gardner)