Police raids on
bikie-linked properties after tattoo shop firebombs
Gabrielle Knowles, Chief Crime ReporterPerthNow
September 6, 2018 5:28PM
TOPICS
WA NewsPeel/RockinghamPerth
A DISPUTE between WA’s biggest gang the
Rebels and rivals the Comancheros is suspected to be
behind a series of tattoo parlour fire-bombings and a
shooting at a family home.
Police are working hard to keep a lid on the hostilities
to stop them erupting into an all-out war — launching
raids on properties allegedly linked to the gangs that
have netted guns, knives, batons, drugs and cash.
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson would not detail what
police believed had sparked the heightened tensions,
saying only that it was about “greed and power”.
“Bikie gangs are organised criminal gangs,” he said.
“They’re involved in drug distribution, extortion and a
whole range of matters.
“They’ll contest that ... (but) we’ve convicted over 300
bikies in WA of crimes that attract punishment in excess
of five years’ imprisonment.
“There’s tension always between the 12 bikie gangs ...
but at the moment, we’re concerned about the Rebels and
the Comancheros.”
The violence includes fire-bombings at five tattoo shops
since March and shots fired at the Waikiki home of a
senior Rebels bikie on Monday evening.
There are rising fears tonight in the sudden increase in
bikie violence. Investigators say tattoo parlor fires
across Perth are linked to rival gangs.
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There are rising fears tonight in the sudden increase in
bikie violence. Investigators say tattoo parlor fires
across Perth are linked to rival gangs.
Rockingham “Roc City” chapter president Jason Gastarov
and his family escaped injury when his house was
peppered with bullets.
WA Police have been on alert for a possible outbreak of
violence between the two gangs since June last year when
several members of the Rebels’ Rockingham chapter
defected to the Comancheros — a move considered to be a
serious breach of the bikie “code”.
The reasons for the shock defections were unclear but
the Comancheros had been on an aggressive recruitment
drive after several of its senior members were jailed
for crimes including extortion and drug trafficking.
The home of the self-proclaimed Comancheros WA State
commander is among those raided by the gang crime squad.
He faced court today over an alleged breach of bail.
No one has yet been charged over the recent violence but
the discovery of weapons, drugs and cash in raids in
Port Kennedy resulted in charges against two men and a
woman who police allege are gang associates.
Another man and woman have been charged with drug
possession during the crackdown.
A 20-year-old man will face court next week after three
guns, ammunition and testosterone was allegedly
discovered at his Port Kennedy home.
Gang crime squad investigators allegedly found
methamphetamine, MDMA, cannabis, flick knives,
expandable batons, ammunition and almost $20,000 at
another Port Kennedy home, with a man and a woman facing
charges over the haul.
Mr Dawson said police would keep their attention on the
560-odd “patched” bikie gang members in WA and anyone
connected to them to keep the community safe.
“We are always concerned whenever firearms and weapons
are in the community and are being used by criminals,”
he said.