Two men, including a former police officer and someone believed to be a Hells Angels member, were arrested on drugs and weapons charges on Saturday, a Winnipeg police spokesman said Monday.

The organized crime unit was investigating whether 31-year-old William Bowden, believed to be a member of the motorcycle gang, may have been carrying a handgun.

Sgt. Kelly Dennison said officers stopped Bowden and Ken Houston, 38, in an SUV on Saturday. Houston retired from the Winnipeg Police Service in July 2003.

"The organized crime unit members observed this individual in the company of another male in a vehicle, and it stopped them in the rear lane of the 500 block of Corydon Avenue and seized a loaded nine-millimetre semi-automatic handgun," Dennison said.

Dennison said police also found a small amount of drugs during the arrests. Both men face numerous weapons charges as well as a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

He said police keep a close eye on people they think might have links to organized crime.

"The organized crime unit members are very diligent at investigating individuals who have associations to outlaw and criminal organizations," he said.

"No matter what their past has been, they're at the point now where they are believed to either be members or associated with members."