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Aussie bikie gangs are moving overseas to expand illegal activities

 
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Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs are setting up chapters across Europe in a bid to opeexpand their criminal operations, police claim. Picture: Mark Cranitch

 

AUSTRALIAN outlaw motorcycle gangs are setting up chapters and franchising their “colours” across Europe in a bid to open new chains of supply for narcotics, police intelligence has found.

 

News Corp Australia has learnt of a rise in transnational activity, ironically spurred on by the success in law enforcement detection of illegal drug shipments and police targeting of known crime bosses and their club houses.

The offshore push by Australian gangs has centred about Netherlands, UK, Spain and undisclosed areas in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

In the Netherlands, police intelligence has particularly noted unholy alliances being forged as criminal groups in both countries look to expand their markets and for that have to sign-up with new allegiances to minimise potential gang warfare.

The noticeable shift marks a new broader phase of expansion and raises concerns of the export of historic grudges and turf wars.

“The problem for law enforcement is when they break away from these initial groups, they take away problems with them and this is seen as a threat,” an intelligence police chief in Holland told News Corp Australia.

Bikie gangs are moving overseas in a bid to expand their crime networks across then globe. Picture: Mark Cranitch

“There are motorcycle clubs from Australia establishing chapter clubs in Europe, now it’s not that you have 1000 Australian people getting visas to move to the Netherlands, this is not how it works. How it works is you have Australian brands that are establishing footholds in Netherlands … it’s about establishing chapters in countries in Europe and benefiting from existing infrastructure and personnel and members who maybe have split from other motorcycle gangs which were dissatisfied or members who have hooligan background, right wing extremists as well which is one of the category of people included in motorcycle gangs.”

 

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the officer said it was about infrastructure and Australia was a “destination country not a source country” so they needed criminal counterparts for smuggling networks.

Such has been the rise, in Rotterdam — the city with one of the world’s largest ports — police chiefs and local MPs are calling for an all out ban on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and the violence that comes with them. The move followed a mass brawl with shots fired earlier last month between local chapters of Hells Angels and Mongols from which police arrested 23 people.

Intelligence reports have noted Rebels MC from Australia have European expansion plans while Comanchero has been looking specifically at Bosnia, Spain and Netherlands.

“The chapter established here are indeed set up under umbrella of Comanchero Australia, they have the same patch and logo and so on. There are of course other groups that may have the same name but not same logo like in UK but establishment here was indeed endorsed by Comanchero Australia however the members of these chapters are not necessarily made up of Australian nationals,” the officer said.

Meanwhile in Australia federal police have noted Dutch nationals suspected of links with OMGs and deemed to be methamphetamine “cooks” have been entering the country at the invitation of local bikie groups looking to produce their own ecstasy hauls.

Some of the nationals are not known in Australia for criminal activity and it’s only later through indirect investigations, intelligence from overseas points to their background as being involved in the trade of “cooking” drugs. If on a wholesale level, it would mark a departure from where the OMGs operated just as foot soldier distributors for larger organised crime groups targeting Australia notably from Albania, Montenegro and Italy.

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