EXCLUSIVE: Terrified prisoner families are being forced by feared outlaw bikie gang Hells Angels to pay $190 a week in organised protection racket to keep their loved ones safe behind bars

  • Family members of prisoners are being stood over by bikies for big dollars 
  • Notorious gang has allegedly been demanding up to $190 a week from victims
  • Failure to pay the 'protection' fee could result in inmates being bashed or worse
  • Authorities officially claim they are unaware of the bikie protection racket  
  • The Hells Angels are currently among the most feared but low key bikie gangs 

 

 

Members of the feared outlaw motorcycle gang Hells Angels are terrorising family members of prisoners caged in some of Australia's toughest prisons. 

Daily Mail Australia has been told Hells Angels operating throughout Victoria are demanding as much as $190 a week from terrified loved-ones of men being held behind bars with incarcerated members of the gang.  

'Those approached are under no illusion as to what the consequences of not paying might be,' a source said. 

The Hells Angels are believed to be standing over prisoners and their families in a protection racket

The Hells Angels are believed to be standing over prisoners and their families in a protection racket

Members of the Hells Angels gathered to pay their respects to Macchour Chaouk at Preston Mosque in 2010. Chaouk had been a known associate of the gang when he was shot dead in his backyard

Members of the Hells Angels gathered to pay their respects to Macchour Chaouk at Preston Mosque in 2010. Chaouk had been a known associate of the gang when he was shot dead in his backyard

One of the Hells Angels' most infamous murderers is being held at Barwon Prison. Christopher Wayne Hudson is serving 35 years after a crazed CBD rampage

One of the Hells Angels' most infamous murderers is being held at Barwon Prison. Christopher Wayne Hudson is serving 35 years after a crazed CBD rampage 

With inmates only able to access small amounts of money and privileges on the inside, the move by the bikie gang is seen as a low effort even as far as outlaw bikie gangs are concerned. 

It is understood those that have been approached by the bikies have been reluctant to contact authorities due to obvious fears of reprisals against those trapped with their buddies behind bars. 

Both members of Victoria Police's Echo Taskforce - which deals exclusively with Middle-Eastern crime gangs and outlaw motorcycle clubs - and Corrections Victoria  told Daily Mail Australia they were unaware of the alleged protection racket. 

But well-placed sources have assured Daily Mail Australia the issue is 'well and truly alive'. 

It remains unclear exactly which prisons are holding the bikie associates and their targets. 

The likely candidates are Port Phillip and Barwon prisons, which hold some of the countries most dangerous criminals, including a who's who of beefed-up and bored bikies. 

There are no shortage of Hells Angels trapped behind bars capable of carrying out the protection racket. 

Perhaps the most infamous being Christopher Wayne Hudson, who was jailed in 2009 for life with a minimum of 35 years.

The revelations come during a period of quiet for the notorious outlaw motorcycle club. 

Unlike some of the nation's other 'one percenter' bikie gangs, such as The Finks, Mongols, Comancheros and Bandidos, the Hells Angels have enjoyed an extended period out of the headlines while their competitors create carnage. 

Notorious Fink Brent Reker recently became news when he died in the Ravenhall Correctional Centre where he was on remand after being charged in connection with a violent home invasion.

On Tuesday, Bandidos chapter president Shane De Britt was executed inside his homestead on a property at Eurimbla, 70 kilometres north-west of Orange in NSW. 

Fink Brent Reker was facing serious charges when he died inside prison recently
 

Fink Brent Reker was facing serious charges when he died inside prison recently 

The Hells Angels proudly display their colours on their back and at their clubhouses. This clubhouse in Thomastown saw police crash through its fortified gates in 2013

The Hells Angels proudly display their colours on their back and at their clubhouses. This clubhouse in Thomastown saw police crash through its fortified gates in 2013 

An image of Christopher Wayne Hudson after he went on the run following an out-of-control shooting in the heart of Melbourne. He surrendered after two days and was later sentenced to 35 years in jail

An image of Christopher Wayne Hudson after he went on the run following an out-of-control shooting in the heart of Melbourne. He surrendered after two days and was later sentenced to 35 years in jail

A day later in Melbourne, a 29-year-old Clyde North man was arrested during police raids targeting the Finks. 

A week earlier, Nabil Maghnie - who was a known associate of the Comancheros in Melbourne, died in a hail of bullets. 

Last August, Mongols MC member Rocco Curra was gunned down after being lured to a meeting in Bulleen, in Melbourne's north east. 

The attack was captured on CCTV from a home which showed two gunmen fire seven shots into his vehicle. 

Amid talk of a war between the Finks and Hells Angels in Adelaide, members in Melbourne have flown under the radar for about six years.

But their lust for violence will not be forgotten by many Melburnians.  

In 2007, Hells Angel Christopher Wayne Hudson shocked the city when he opened fire on two men and a woman during peak morning traffic in the CBD. 

After assaulting his girlfriend Kara Douglas, he blasted Brendan Keilar and Paul de Waard when they attempted to assist her.

Hudson went on the run for two days before turning himself in.

Hudson opened fire on two men and a woman during peak morning traffic in the CBD of Melbourne

Hudson opened fire on two men and a woman during peak morning traffic in the CBD of Melbourne

Peter 'Skitzo' Hewat once punched a grandma in the face over a fight about a small dog

Peter 'Skitzo' Hewat once punched a grandma in the face over a fight about a small dog

Nabil Maghnie was a known associate of the Comancheros. Known as 'The Mad Leb', he was gunned down in Melbourne this month

Nabil Maghnie was a known associate of the Comancheros. Known as 'The Mad Leb', he was gunned down in Melbourne this month

 

In 2009, a teenage German tourist was repeatedly bashed with a baseball bat by a Hells Angel for claiming to be a member. 

Faisal Aakbari was 18 when Glyn David Dickman repeatedly struck and seriously injured him at the outlaw motorcycle gang's clubhouse 'for having the temerity to say he was a member of the Hells Angels'.

He only stopped his brutal attack when he ran out of breath. 

Dickman was later sentenced to eight years' jail, with a non-parole period of five years and six months.

Peter 'Skitzo' Hewat was sergeant-at-arms of the Hells Angels' East County chapter in Campbellfield in 2013 when he bashed a 64-year-old woman during a dispute over his dog. 

He was arrested again later that year as part of a statewide raid targeting the Hells Angels in which thirteen people were arrested and weapons and drugs were seized.

Hewat was sentenced to 10 months in jail in January 2014 after he pleaded guilty to assault, weapons offences, handling stolen goods and operating a tow truck without the proper licence.

During the same period, the Bandidos declared war on the Hells Angels after an ambush on several Bandidos members outside the affiliated Diablos' clubhouse in Melton.

More than 30 shots were fired in the attack and two men, including then Bandidos national sergeant-at-arms Toby Mitchell, were wounded.  

Former Bandido Toby Mitchell was once caught up in a shootout with the Hells Angels

Former Bandido Toby Mitchell was once caught up in a shootout with the Hells Angels

A senior Hells Angels member is arrested by Victoria Police in a raid on the bikie gang's headquarters in Melbourne in 2012

A senior Hells Angels member is arrested by Victoria Police in a raid on the bikie gang's headquarters in Melbourne in 2012

While other clubs have taken the spotlight, the Hells Angels remain a feared club around the world

While other clubs have taken the spotlight, the Hells Angels remain a feared club around the world

This year marks a milestone for the notorious outlaw motorcycle club. 

Near on 40 years ago to the day the club made its greatest criminal business decision on the streets of Melbourne. 

It began when Melbourne chapter founding members Peter Hill and Raymond Hamment flew to California to visit Oakland chapter president Kenny Walton in prison. 

Walton taught them how to manufacture amphetamines, which cleared the way for the drug's introduction into Australia.  

The club became notorious for its manufacture and distribution of the drug speed, which has plagued the country for decades since.