 |
Two bikies
accused of
assault given
bail
Hannah Edwards
July 15, 2007
TWO leaders of
Sydney's Hells
Angels bikie
gang have been
charged in a
police crackdown
on outlaw
motorcycle
gangs.
The bikers faced
Paramatta Bail
Court yesterday
accused of the
assault of two
23-year-old men
outside a
Guildford
business.
High-ranking
bikie Derek
Wainohu, 49, was
granted bail
after being
detained by
police in a raid
late on Friday
night.
He faced the
charges of using
an offensive
weapon, two
counts of
assault and of
possessing an
offensive weapon
in a public
place.
Fellow Hell's
Angel member
Zeljko Mitrovic,
40, was also
arrested in the
raids and faced
charges of
assault
occasioning
actual bodily
harm, affray and
assault.
Despite being on
parole for a
previous
offence, he was
also granted
bail.
The defence
argued the
involvement of
the accused in
the alleged
attack was too
difficult to
confirm as the
main evidence
was a set of
grainy closed
circuit
television
images.
Magistrate Terry
Forbes set
strict bail
conditions for
the two men,
dictating that
they could not
associate with
any members or
associates of
the Hell's
Angels
motorcycle club.
They are also
not permitted to
associate with
any other member
of any other
motorcycle
clubs.
They were both
ordered to
appear at
Fairfield Local
Court on August
27.
The court was
crowded with
family and
supporters of
the two men.
The Friday night
raids in which
the two men were
detained were
conducted by the
State Crime
Command Gangs
Squad.
Five people
including
Wainohu and
Mitrovic were
arrested in the
raids
Police to
intensify bikie
gang crackdown
July 15, 2007 -
2:00PM
Bikie gangs
across NSW are
selling alcohol
illegally at
their clubhouses
in a bid to
attract new
members and
boost sales of
illicit drugs,
police say.
NSW Police Force
Detective
Superintendent
Scott Whyte, who
heads the state
crime command
gangs squad,
said police were
stepping up a
campaign against
bikie gangs
supplying
illegal drugs.
"You'll see
action take
place sometime
in the next few
weeks," Mr Whyte
said today at
Sutherland
police station
in Sydney's
south.
"You'll see a
continuation of
what we're
doing."
The next stage
of Operation
Ranmore will see
police focus on
the drug trade
at Sydney
nightclubs and
other
establishments
where bikie
gangs allegedly
employ people as
part of their
drug
distribution
rackets.
In a state-wide
crackdown on
bikie gangs that
began in May,
police have
identified 80
gang clubhouses
and arrested at
least 25 gang
members.
Three police
raids this
weekend targeted
the Rebels' NSW
south coast
chapter in
Batemans Bay and
Hells Angels'
clubhouses in
the Sydney
suburbs of
Guildford and
Petersham.
At least five
gang members
were arrested in
the raids, and
police seized
quantities of
alcohol, drugs,
prohibited
weapons and
cash.
At the Batemans
Bay Rebels'
clubhouse police
found weapons
hidden behind
walls, including
a knife behind a
poster.
"It's typical
that these
places have
ready access to
weapons," Mr
Whyte said.
"I have no doubt
that outlaw
gangs are key
elements of the
drug manufacture
and supply trade
in this state.
"By enticing
people back to
their clubhouse,
they're opening
themselves up to
sell drugs to
them."
Mr Whyte said
the latest raids
involved
clubhouses
suspected of
selling alcohol
illegally.
"In part, I
believe (selling
alcohol) is a
recruitment
exercise," he
said.
The next stage
of the police
crackdown is not
necessarily
expected to
result in large
drug hauls.
"I'm not going
to say that
we're going to
make massive
drug seizures,"
Mr Whyte said.
"We are looking
at the drug
supply
activities and
whenever
possible we're
doing as much as
we can to target
that and to deal
with it."
'High-ranking'
Hells Angels
bikie nabbed
July 14, 2007 -
7:04AM
Police have
arrested an
alleged
high-ranking
Hells Angels
bikie club
member, one of
five people
detained in
raids on two
Sydney premises
overnight.
The raids were
conducted by
State Crime
Command Gangs
Squad
detectives,
attached to
Operation
Ranmore, set up
in May to tackle
outlaw
motorcycle
gangs.
Detectives from
the Gangs Squad
and officers
from Rose Hill,
Fairfield and
Marrickville
local area
commands, with
the assistance
of the Public
Order Riot
Squad, entered
premises in
Guildford and
Petersham on
Friday night at
9.45pm.
Detectives will
allege they
seized large
quantities of
alcohol and
liquor, small
quantities of
prohibited
drugs, a number
of prohibited
weapons and
articles, and a
sum of cash.
They arrested
five men at the
property in
Broughton
Street,
Guildford, who
were questioned
at Merrylands
and Wetherill
Park police
stations.
A 49-year-old
man, alleged to
be a
high-ranking
chapter member
of the Hells
Angels, is among
those arrested.
He was taken to
Merrylands
police station,
where he was
charged with
affray and
assault
offences.
A 40-year-old
man, alleged to
be a member of
the Hells
Angels, was
arrested and
taken to
Merrylands
police station,
where he was
also charged
with affray and
assault
offences.
The pair are
expected to
appear in
Parramatta Local
Court later on
Saturday.
The charges
relate to the
alleged assault
of two
23-year-old men
working in a
business on
Guildford Road,
Guildford, about
5pm on
Wednesday, July
4.
It will be
alleged one of
the men, from
Condell Park,
fled the
business and was
followed into
the street,
where he was
repeatedly
punched before
being knocked to
the ground and
kicked.
Police and
ambulance
officers
attended the
scene and sent
the man to
Westmead
Hospital for
treatment.
Two other men
were arrested at
the Guildford
premises and
subsequently
charged with
drugs and goods
in custody
offences.
A fifth man was
arrested for
outstanding
warrants.
Gangs Squad
Commander,
Detective
Superintendent
Scott Whyte,
said police had
charged 11
bikies with 25
offences over
the past two
months.
Strip-club owner
loses bid for
costs
Jennifer Cooke
July 14, 2007
AFTER his $320
private strip
show with "Ava"
and "Annika" was
interrupted by
fights involving
bucks night
patrons at the
Showgirls
Nightclub, the
national
president of the
Nomads Outlaw
Motor Cycle
Gang, Scott
Orrock, was shot
in the leg.
So was one of
the bucks night
boys. During the
police
investigation,
the nightclub
owner and
licensee,
Michael Demetris
Koutra, was
accused,
questioned at
the NSW Crime
Commission and
charged over the
alleged
concealment of
CCTV footage of
the shootings.
But there was no
footage from the
early hours of
March 26, last
year, as Downing
Centre Local
Court magistrate
Pat O'Shane
accepted
yesterday.
She said the
case brief
included Mr
Koutra's denial
that he had
witnessed the
actual shooting,
and his
statement that
the CCTV system
was set up only
to feed live
images, not for
recording,
meaning there
was no footage
of the incident.
After the
Director of
Public
Prosecutions
withdrew from
the case in
February, Mr
Koutra applied
for professional
costs of about
$45,000.
During that
hearing in June,
Ms O'Shane said
Paul F. Hogan,
for Mr Koutra,
had argued that
police never did
have a case and
the prosecution
had been set up
to "snare" his
client.
The court has
heard that one
police officer
agreed he had
"over-egged the
cake".
The officer said
he had made
exaggerated
statements in
the tendered
police statement
of facts related
to information
about both the
existence of
CCTV footage of
the Showgirls
shooting, and a
claim that one
of Orrock's
associates had
seen a copy of a
video recording.
While Ms O'Shane
formally
dismissed
charges against
Mr Koutra of
concealing a
serious
indictable
offence and
acting with
intent to
pervert the
course of
justice, she
refused to award
him costs.
She said she did
not take the
view "that [he]
did whatever he
could to assist
the police". She
was not
persuaded to
award
discretionary
costs on the
basis that the
police acted in
an unreasonable
or improper
manner or
instituted
proceedings in
bad faith. The
costs decision
is expected to
be appealed.
Bikie arrested
with guns, drugs
Article from:
NEWS.com.au
July 13, 2007
10:07am
AN OUTLAW bikie
gang member was
arrested on
Thursday after
police found
guns, drugs and
stolen property
at his Ascot
Park home.
Police found an
SKS
semi-automatic
assault rifle,
crystal
methamphetamine,
cannabis and
over 2000
tablets believed
to be HP
ecstasy.
The man, 30, was
arrested and
charged with
possessing drugs
for sale,
possessing a
prescribed
firearm,
receiving stolen
goods and
unlawful
possession.
He will appear
in the Adelaide
Magistrates
Court on Friday,
August 3.
Meanwhile, Drug
Investigation
Branch
detectives
arrested a
Kilkenny man on
Thursday night
after finding 16
cannabis plants
and about 18 kg
of packaged
dried cannabis
in his home.
Police said the
dried cannabis
was enough to
produce 6000 3gm
street deals.
A man, 46, was
charged with
cultivating
cannabis and -
along with a
Fulham Gardens
man, 29 -
possessing the
dried cannabis
for sale.
Police allegedly
located a total
of $47,365 cash,
which was seized
and is the
subject of
unlawful
possession
charges on the
two men.
Four hydroponic
cannabis plants
were allegedly
found at the
address of the
Fulham Gardens
man, who was
charged with
cultivating
cannabis.
Both men have
been bailed to
appear in the
Port Adelaide
Magistrates
Court on
Wednesday,
August 15.
A Reynella man,
26, was reported
for the alleged
unlawful
possession of
$9,800 which was
seized as part
of the
investigation.
Bikies surrender
to Perth police
July 11, 2007 -
1:30PM
Two outlaw
motorcycle gang
members wanted
on assault
charges have
given themselves
up to police
after a month on
the run.
Coffin Cheaters
Troy Mercanti,
40, and Warren
Robert Goedhart,
32, walked into
a central Perth
police station,
Curtin House, at
9am (WST) on
Wednesday after
Mercanti's
lawyer arranged
for their
surrender,
Detective Senior
Sergeant Ron
Adams said.
"They attended
at Curtin House
as arranged,"
Det Adams said.
"No deals, just
straight up
negotiated with
his defence
counsel.
"We stuck with
our word and
they stuck with
theirs."
Police raided
Coffin Cheaters
headquarters on
June 20 after
the pair
allegedly
assaulted a man
at the
Coolbellup
Tavern, south of
Perth, on June
15.
"We'll allege
that on the
evening of June
15th, Mr
Mercanti punched
a patron in the
public bar of
the Coolbellup,"
Det Adams said.
"We'll then
allege that Mr
Goedhart has hit
the complainant,
while he's
unconscious on
the ground, with
a bar stool to
his face."
Police had
pressured the
Coffin Cheaters
to give the men
up, Det Adams
said.
"I'd like to
think at the end
of the day the
club probably
had a gutful, of
being targeted
by police to
find Mr Mercanti
and Mr Goedhart,"
he said.
Mercanti has
been charged
with assault
occasioning
bodily harm and
Goedhart has
been charged
with committing
an unlawful act
with intent to
harm over the
Coolbellup
incident.
Both men are due
to appear in the
Fremantle
Magistrates
Court where
police will
oppose bail.
Court order
against alleged
bikie fortress
ABC News online
An Adelaide
magistrate has
issued an order
that
fortifications
be removed from
a house in
Adelaide's inner
north-west under
laws aimed at
eliminating
motorcycle gang
fortresses.
It is the second
fortification
removal order to
be issued since
the laws took
effect in 2004.
Police had
applied for the
order.
It states that a
solid metal gate
and metal plates
on four windows
must be removed
from the unit at
Brompton within
28 days.
The occupier of
the home, Aaron
Graham, was not
required to
attend the
Magistrates
Court today.
A lengthy appeal
which was
resolved last
year had held up
enforcement of
the laws.
Accused shooter
'has backing of
Hells Angels'
By Carly
Crawford
July 10, 2007
12:00am
Article from:
Herald Sun
ACCUSED city
shooter
Christopher
Wayne Hudson has
secured the
backing of
global outlaw
bikie gang the
Hells Angels,
his father
claims.
Senior Angels
called a secret
meeting with
Terry Hudson to
reassure him
they remained
loyal to his
boy, the Gold
Coast tradesman
said.
"They're 100 per
cent behind
him," Mr Hudson
said.
"They flew me to
Sydney to speak
to me
personally."
Christopher
Hudson, 29, is
in Port Phillip
Prison charged
with shooting
three people,
one fatally,
last month.
He was later
charged over a
wild car trip he
took with
Collingwood star
Alan Didak, in
which shots were
allegedly fired
from the Bolte
Bridge.
Mr Hudson said
he felt very
good about
having the bikie
empire on his
son's side.
"He needs all
the support he
can get from
them and from
us," he said.
The development
means Hudson,
who turned
himself in after
two days on the
run, could use
the Angels'
financial and
physical muscle
to fight the
string of
charges he
faces.
It was widely
understood the
Angels had cut
Hudson loose
after the city
shooting -- a
display of
violence not
sanctioned by
the club.
One bikie source
doubted Terry
Hudson's claim.
"Within the
clubs, that's
what they're
trying to get
rid of, people
like that
(Hudson)," he
said.
Mr Hudson said
the outlaw gang
had flown him
from the Gold
Coast to Sydney
for a single day
last week to
discuss his
son's case.
He said he had
met senior
figures inside
the gang but
refused to
reveal the date
and location of
the meeting.
Nor would he
relate specific
details of the
conversation.
"They want to
keep it
in-house," Mr
Hudson said.
Hudson allegedly
shot dead
Hawthorn
solicitor
Brendan Keilar
as he went to
the aid of
24-year-old Kara
Douglas.
Douglas and
another good
Samaritan, Dutch
backpacker Paul
de Waard, were
also shot.
Hudson faces one
charge of
murder, two of
attempted murder
and nine linked
to his alleged
ride with Didak
six days before
the city
shooting.
Bikie
whistleblower
facing charges
Christine
Kellett and AAP
| July 9, 2007 -
9:57AM
A former bikie
whistleblower
who has accused
Queensland
police of
turning a blind
eye to the
criminal
activities of
outlaw
motorcycle gangs
is himself
facing criminal
charges.
The Queensland
Police Service
confirmed this
morning that
Stevan Utah (not
his real name)
was being
investigated by
the Crime and
Misconduct
Commission over
a number of
"serious", but
as yet un-named,
offences.
Utah, a former
Bandidos
member-turned
Australian Crime
Commission mole,
used the Nine
Network's Sunday
program to
allege
widespread
police
corruption and
inter-agency
bumbling which
was allowing
murder, drugs
and gun-running
to go unchecked
in south-east
Queensland.
He said police
had tipped off
the gang about
imminent drug
raids, had
failed to act on
information he
provided as an
informer and
blasted QPS for
refusing to
cooperate with
the ACC on four
occasions due to
"pathetic, petty
jealousy".
QPS has refused
to officially
discuss the
allegations, but
a spokesman told
brisbanetimes.com.au
earlier today
they were being
treated
seriously and
had referred the
matter to the
CMC.
"The person
making these
allegations is
well known to
QPS and is
facing serious
criminal
charges," the
spokesman said.
"QPS is
supportive of
determining
whether there is
any truth to
these claims and
will assist the
CMC in any
possible
manner," the
spokesman said.
"QPS encourages
anyone with
information that
could assist in
establishing the
truth in this
matter to
provide it to
the CMC."
He said he was
unable to
furnish further
details about
exact nature of
charges levelled
against Utah.
"That's in the
hands of the
CMC, we don't
even know," the
spokesman said.
Utah was a
member of the
Bandidos for
more than a
decade before
turning ACC
informer in mid
2004.
He told the
program of at
least two
murders, the
bashing of a
woman and a
"flogging" which
left him fearing
for his life.
According to
Utah, members of
the Bandidos
were responsible
for:
- The shooting
murder of
54-year-old
Geelong security
guard Earl Neil
Mooring, who he
said was
tortured to
death with a
hammer in
October 2000.
Utah said he
helped dump Mr
Mooring's body
in Goulburn,
south of Sydney,
and he later led
ACC
investigators to
the body's
location.
- The murder of
a former
Bandidos member
four years ago,
who Utah said
was forced to
hang himself
rather than be
beaten to death
after a corrupt
Queensland
Police informant
told gang
members the
Bandido was
helping them.
- The beating of
a woman, who
Utah said was
dragged by her
hair and kicked
while
unconscious
outside a
Bandidos
clubhouse on
Queensland's
Sunshine Coast.
She had up to
eight broken
bones and 184
stitches.
He said the QPS
refused an ACC
request for
permission to
send Utah
undercover to
buy
methylamphetamine,
after he had
been offered the
drug by a
Bandido member.
Utah said he
drew a map
outlining the
locations of two
Bandido drug
labs in
Queensland but
QPS did not raid
the premises
until six months
later.
He said he was
forced to flee
overseas after a
newspaper
article tipped
off the Bandidos
to his role as
an informant and
was "flogged" by
Bandidos members
who were trying
to kill him. He
said his
requests for
help from the
ACC had fallen
on deaf ears.
"I feel total
betrayal," he
said.
"Last time I
looked,
regardless of
what anyone
thinks of me, I
did the right
thing and I'm
still a citizen
of Australia.
"Why wasn't I
looked after?
Bikie blasts
'pathetic'
police
July 8, 2007
A mole from one
of Australia's
most notorious
bikie gangs has
blown the
whistle on a
culture of drug
trafficking, gun
running and
murder,
including one
man being forced
to hang himself
and another
being tortured
to death with a
hammer.
Police bungling
and a lack of
communication
between state
law agencies and
the Australian
Crime Commission
has undermined
investigations
into these
crimes,
according to
informer Stevan
Utah.
Utah - not his
real name - was
a member of the
Bandidos bikie
gang for a
decade and
turned
Australian Crime
Commission
informer in mid
2004.
Today, he told
the Nine
Network's Sunday
program of at
least two
murders, the
bashing of a
woman and a
"flogging" which
left him fearing
for his life.
According to
Utah, members of
the Bandidos
were responsible
for:
- The shooting
murder of
54-year-old
Geelong security
guard Earl Neil
Mooring, who he
said was
tortured to
death with a
hammer in
October 2000.
Utah said he
helped dump Mr
Mooring's body
in Goulburn,
south of Sydney,
and he later led
ACC
investigators to
the body's
location.
"If you put two
sugars in your
coffee and just
giving it a
stir, you don't
give it a second
thought," Utah
said.
"That's what it
was like with
Earl Mooring -
putting sugar in
his coffee."
- The murder of
a former
Bandidos member
four years ago,
who Utah said
was forced to
hang himself
rather than be
beaten to death
after a corrupt
Queensland
Police informant
told gang
members the
Bandido was
helping them.
- The beating of
a woman, who
Utah said was
dragged by her
hair and kicked
while
unconscious
outside a
Bandidos
clubhouse on
Queensland's
Sunshine Coast.
She had up to
eight broken
bones and 184
stitches.
Utah said
corrupt police
officers would
tip off the gang
about imminent
drug raids.
He said bikie
gangs around
Australia
exploited the
fact there was a
lack of
communication
between state
police forces,
which was why
dead bodies were
transported
across state
borders.
Utah blasted the
Queensland
Police Service (QPS)
for refusing to
cooperate with
the ACC on four
occasions due to
"pathetic, petty
jealousy".
He said the QPS
refused an ACC
request for
permission to
send Utah
undercover to
buy
methylamphetamine,
after he had
been offered the
drug by a
Bandido member.
Utah said he
drew a map
outlining the
locations of two
Bandido drug
labs in
Queensland but
QPS did not raid
the premises
until six months
later.
He said he was
forced to flee
overseas after a
newspaper
article tipped
off the Bandidos
to his role as
an informant and
was "flogged" by
Bandidos members
who were trying
to kill him.
Utah, who
remains
overseas, said
his requests for
help from the
ACC had fallen
on deaf ears.
"I feel total
betrayal," he
said.
"Last time I
looked,
regardless of
what anyone
thinks of me, I
did the right
thing and I'm
still a citizen
of Australia.
"Why wasn't I
looked after?"
SA outlines
anti-club laws
Written by Sid
ozbiker.org
Thursday, 05
July 2007
The South
Australian
Government has
unveiled a raft
of proposed laws
intended to
disrupt alleged
criminal
activity
associated with
outlaw
motorcycle
clubs.
The
unprecedented
laws include a
coercive
investigative
power, safety
orders that
would ban clubs
from certain
events and ways
to make it
harder for
bikers to get
bail when
charged with
serious
offences.
Bikers would
have unexplained
wealth
confiscated, be
banned from
wearing club
insignia and
offences they
commit would
attract harsher
penalties.
SA Police
Commissioner Mal
Hyde says laws
banning bikers
from associating
in public will
prevent violence
between rival
clubs.
"These sort of
orders could be
useful in terms
of where police
would be able to
say that the
chance of
violence is
pretty high at a
certain place
because of the
intelligence and
the information
we have
received," he
said.
"We could then
take action to
prevent the
violence from
occurring."
SA Premier Mike
Rann (chief
cocksmoker) says
every effort
will be made to
ensure that the
proposed laws
cannot be
legally
challenged.
He expects the
changes to be
phased in over
the next 18
months.
"What we're
looking at in
terms of a range
of changes to
the criminal law
is ways in which
we can actually
disrupt the
organisational
activities of of
bikie gangs, who
in my view are
just another
form of
organised
crime," the
Premier said.
Under the
changes:
COURTS will be
given powers to
control with
whom club
members can
associate and
where clubs can
go.
MORE effective
laws to stop
bikers
intimidating and
threatening
violence.
ISSUING Public
Safety Orders to
ban clubs from
specified
places.
BANS on wearing
club insignia
and 'colours'
where public
safety is at
risk.
AMENDING the
Controlled
substances Act
to deal with
possession of
precursor
chemicals and
specialist
equipment in
"bikie drug
labs".
PROHIBITING
possession of
certain kinds of
hydroponic
equipment such
as high
intensity lights
and carbon
filters.
CONFISCATING
unexplained
wealth of club
members.
INTRODUCING
special coercive
investigative
powers.
EXPANDING aiding
and abetting
offences based
on Commonwealth
terror laws.
A NEW offence of
intimidating a
criminal justice
official or an
official's
family member.
AGGRAVATED
penalties for
offences
committed by
outlaw club
members.
INTRODUCE a
presumption
against bail for
outlaw club
members charged
with serious or
violent offences
and breaches of
control orders.
Hudson charged
with another
shooting
July 05, 2007
11:19am
Article from:
AAP
THE man
allegedly
responsible for
the triple
shooting in
Melbourne last
month has been
charged over
another incident
where shots were
fired at a
factory in
suburban
Campbellfield.
A solicitor was
killed and
another two
people injured
when a gunman
shot them in
central
Melbourne during
the morning peak
hour on June 18.
Christopher
Wayne Hudson,
31, is charged
over the
shooting with
one count of
murder, two of
attempted
murder, one
count of
unlawful
imprisonment and
one of
intentionally
causing serious
injury.
At Melbourne
Magistrates
Court today
Hudson was
charged with a
further nine
offences over a
separate
incident.
He did not
appear in court
today for the
brief filing
hearing and is
believed to be
recovering
following
plastic surgery
on a wrist
wound.
The new charge
relates to an
incident where
shots were
allegedly fired
at a factory in
suburban
Campbellfield on
June 12.
He faces three
charges of
reckless conduct
endangering
serious injury,
two of using a
firearm to
resist
apprehension and
three of using a
firearm on a
thoroughfare
used by public
for passage with
vehicles.
He also faces
one charge of
prohibitive
person using
unregistered
firearm.
Hudson was
remanded in
custody to
appear in court
on September 27
Rebels bikie
gang clubhouse
in raided
July 5, 2007 -
12:10PM
A Rebels
motorcycle gang
clubhouse has
been targeted in
police raids
across
south-west
Victoria.
Victoria Police
spokeswoman Mia
Paterson said
police stormed
several
addresses,
including the
Rebels clubhouse
in North Geelong
in Thursday's
raids.
A number of
people are now
assisting police
as part of the
ongoing
operation but
charges have not
yet been laid,
Senior Constable
Paterson said.
"The operation
relates to a
number of
incidents in the
Geelong area
over the past
couple of
months," she
said.
The
investigations
relate to
various weapons
seized by
police.
In April, the
Rebels' North
Geelong
headquarters was
set alight when
flares were
reportedly fired
at the Edols
Place property.
Five weeks
earlier the
Geelong
clubhouse
belonging to
another bikie
gang, the
Bandidos, was
sprayed with 30
bullets by
unknown gunmen.
Man charged over
club shooting
incident
July 5, 2007 -
6:34AM
A man has been
charged over a
Sydney nightclub
incident in
which a gun was
repeatedly fired
into the
ceiling.
Police say the
incident
occurred about
midnight on
March 14 this
year at a club
in Paddington in
central Sydney.
"Arriving at the
scene, police
discovered
several gunshots
had been fired
into the ceiling
inside the
club," a police
spokesman said
on Thursday.
"No one was
injured as a
result of the
shooting."
Police on
Wednesday
arrested a
26-year-old man
from Bexley over
the incident and
charged him with
being a
participant in a
criminal group
and also riot.
He has been
refused bail and
is expected to
appear in
Kogarah Local
Court on
Thursday.
Surprise as
another relative
surrenders
July 3, 2007
A SIXTH member
of the Jones
family, wanted
since the
killing of his
fellow Romany
Bill Smith,
surrendered to
police last
week.
In the Supreme
Court yesterday,
the Crown
prosecutor John
Pickering made
the surprise
announcement
after the jury
returned guilty
verdicts against
the parents,
brother and
nephew of Samuel
Mark Jones, 33.
Believed to have
links with the
Rebels Outlaw
motorcycle gang,
he appeared in
Liverpool Local
Court last week,
charged with
murder.
Together with
his father,
Samuel Jones,
and elder
brother, "Big"
Adam Jones,
"Young" Sam is
also wanted in
New Zealand, the
court heard
during a bail
application for
Elizabeth Jean
Jones yesterday
afternoon.
The three Jones
men had been due
to appear in the
Auckland High
Court charged
with malicious
wounding with
intent to cause
grievous bodily
harm in 1990 but
had fled the
country.
Mr Pickering
said arrest
warrants were
still
outstanding
against the
three men. The
Victorian
Supreme Court
had declined an
extradition
request from New
Zealand in 1997.
The three Jones
men had left New
Zealand despite
outstanding
charges, he
said.
Mr Pickering
submitted that
Mrs Jones was a
"flight risk"
pending her
inevitable jail
sentence for
manslaughter.
Young Sam Jones,
the court heard
during a
pre-trial
application, was
captured on a
police telephone
intercept of a
Rebels gang
member on the
night of Bill
Smith's death.
He had allegedly
asked for help
from "a few of
the boys" to
help him at
Kangy Angy
shortly before
Bill Smith was
killed early on
October 9, 2005.
Shot bikie
on mend
Article from:
KATE KYRIACOU
July 01, 2007
12:15am
THE most
seriously wounded of
the four Rebels
motorcycle gang
members gunned down
outside Tonic
nightclub early this
month looks set to
make a recovery.
A Royal Adelaide
Hospital spokeswoman
said this week the
man, aged in his
30s, had improved
from a critical
listing to "serious
but stable".
Up to two gunmen
fired as many as 10
shots outside the
Light Square club at
about 4.30am on
Saturday, June 2. "I
can confirm that
some of them were
shot more than
once," Assistant
Commissioner of
Crime Tony Harrison
said after the
shooting.
Two of the men
were released from
hospital within
hours of the attack,
suffering minor
injuries.
One victim,
Christopher
Clemente, joked with
mates outside the
hospital that day,
still dressed in his
hospital gown.
The third victim,
Robert Vitale, was
released more
recently.
Friends and
family have posted
messages of support
on a motorcycle gang
website for the men.
"Hello, I'm
Amelia, Rob Vitale's
daughter. I just
want to thank
everyone who has
come in to see my
dad and have also
supported him," one
poster wrote.
A police
spokeswoman said the
shooting was still
being investigated
and an arrest was
yet to be made
Bikie
gang link in kidnapping
arrests - Gangs Squad
29 June 2007
A Gangs Squad investigation
into an alleged assault and
kidnapping two years ago has
today resulted in the arrest
of a second man.
Strike Force Bevo has been
investigating the
circumstances surrounding
the assault and detaining of
a man in April 2005 by
people alleged to have links
to the a bikie gang.
Detectives will allege the
victim was punched during a
meeting with a number of men
at Penrith before they
forced him into a car and
took him to another location
where he was assaulted
again. The man suffered
numerous injuries and was
treated in hospital.
As a result of extensive
inquiries, a 28-year-old man
from Emu Plains was arrested
at Waverley Police Station
today.
He was interviewed by
detectives before being
charged with special
aggravated kidnapping and
grievous bodily harm with
intent.
He has been granted
conditional bail to appear
before Penrith Local Court
on 23 July.
It follows the arrest of a
27-year-old Vaucluse man at
Rose Bay Police Station on
Monday 4 June. He is
currently before the courts
on numerous charges.
Inquiries by Strike Force
Bevo detectives are
continuing.
Blah blah blah more bs....
Control
order plan for bikies
Sarah Smiles, Canberra
June 29, 2007
BIKIE GANG members could be
placed under terrorist
control orders as part of a
national crackdown on
organised crime.
They could also be banned
from wearing insignia and
meeting in groups under
tough new measures being
considered by state and
territory police
commissioners.
The proposals were discussed
at a Ministerial Council for
Police and Emergency
Management in New Zealand
yesterday.
Federal Justice Minister
David Johnston said all
police ministers who
attended were "well
disposed" to taking measures
to crack down on gangs,
"with a view to outlawing
them, banning them, or
extensively controlling
them".
"We're not seeking to attack
middle-aged groups of men
riding round on
Harley-Davidson
motorcycles," he told
reporters in Wellington.
"We're looking to curtail
the criminal activities and
eradicate the criminal
activities of drug-dealing
motorcycle gangs that have
extensive crime networks."
The use of control orders,
under which terrorist are
monitored and their
movements restricted, will
be considered by a working
group of state and territory
police commissioners.
South Australian Premier
Mike Rann proposed adapting
counter-terrorism laws to
rein in bikie gangs in a
recent letter to Prime
Minister John Howard.
"Everybody agreed that this
is not a terrorist-like
situation," said Senator
Johnston of the response at
the meeting. "(But) there
may be some aspects of the
terrorism legislation that
can be useful. I don't know
if that's right or wrong,(
then ya might as well go
back to sleep....) but
it's worth consideration."
The working group of police
commissioners will present
recommendations at the next
ministerial meeting in
November. Victorian Justice
Minister Bob Cameron said he
would wait to hear their
advice before supporting
such a measure.
He said some commissioners
had raised concerns that
control orders and bans on
insignia are difficult to
implement. "If you ban that
insignia, they can replace
it with another," he said.
Mr Cameron said the group
would also discuss
establishing a national guns
database that tracks
firearms across the country.
"There will be a proposal
for hopefully in November as
to how this will be
implemented," he said.
The database will aid police
investigations by allowing
them to access information
about guns registered across
the country.
Mr Cameron said the database
should be developed as part
of CrimTrac, the national
information-sharing agency
for police.
Senator Johnston said the
working group of
commissioners would also
explore if there were
legislative gaps between
states and territories in
tackling organised crime.
Police Federation chief
executive Mark Burgess
welcomed the proposed
measures.
"They move across states at
will and they've got
chapters in various states
so you do need a
co-ordinated approach to how
you deal with them," he
said.
Shot fired
at intruders
Julie McNamara
28Jun07
Police inspect the house
where the shot was fired.
Photo: PHILLIP STUBBS
A MAN who allegedly fired a
shot through his front door
to scare off intruders on
Tuesday night has been
charged by police.
The 43-year-old man has been
charged with conduct
endangering life and firearm
offences after the incident
in McNeill Ave, East
Geelong.
Last month the same unit was
peppered with shotgun
pellets in an attack police
said at the time was related
to an alleged turf war
between the Bandidos and
Rebels motorcycle groups.
Detective Sergeant Steve
Evans, of Geelong CIU, said
three men attempted to jemmy
open the front door about
10pm.
Det-Sgt Evans said they
managed to open the wire
security door but were
unable to jemmy the wooden
door.
It is alleged the men then
threw rocks through the
front window and cut the
power to the unit.
Det-Sgt Evans said the
43-year-old, his de facto
partner and their
four-year-old daughter were
inside the home at the time.
Police said the man armed
himself with a rifle and
allegedly fired one shot
through the front door
towards the attempted
burglars who fled. Police
recovered the rifle.
Detective Sergeant Rob
Sodomaco yesterday said
although the 43-year-old
knew people in both the
Bandidos and Rebels
Motorcycle Clubs, he wasn't
involved in either and
appeared to be an innocent
victim in any hostility that
may be simmering between the
two groups.
Det-Sgt Evans said the three
men had not been located and
police were continuing their
investigation into the
attempted aggravated
burglary.
He said there had been
several calls made to the
McNeill Ave address in the
past couple of months.
The man has been bailed to
appear at Geelong
Magistrates' Court on August
9.
Derek Mathie, who lives
across the road from the
home, said he often chatted
to the 43-year-old, his
neighbour of two years.
He said he did not seem like
the sort of person who would
cause trouble.
Mr Mathie said he was not
worried about the incident.
``It's happening
everywhere,'' he said.
Another neighbour said the
incident was upsetting,
particularly as she was
raising three young children
Bikie
gangs in the gun
Article from: Herald-Sun
Mark Buttler, chief police
reporter
June 28, 2007 12:00am
BIKIES will be a key target
of a Victorian push for the
states to band together to
fight organised crime.
Police Minister Bob Cameron
will today urge a uniform
national assault on outlaw
motorcycle gangs and other
crime groups at a police
ministers' conference.
"When you're dealing with
motorcycle gangs, it's
footloose rather than just
Victorian. The importance of
co-operation becomes
extremely important," Mr
Cameron said.
Deputy Commissioner Simon
Overland backed the push
yesterday, saying bikies
used intimidation and force
to make themselves difficult
targets for investigators.
Mr Cameron's proposals
include:
NEW precursor chemical laws
in every state to disrupt
the production and
trafficking of amphetamines.
A NATIONWIDE crackdown on
the ownership of pill
presses.
THE adoption of tough new
laws in every state, forcing
criminals and their
associates to answer
questions in special
hearings.
FEDERAL funding for the
CrimTrac system, which
provides all police with
criminal records, DNA
profiles and other important
data.
A NATIONAL guns database to
keep track of all registered
firearms.
GREATER regulation of armed
forces weapons to stop them
falling into criminal hands.
Mr Cameron's package was
devised after talks with
Chief Commissioner Christine
Nixon and Mr Overland.
"To get the best
intelligence around the
nation, you need to be
putting in and taking out,"
he said.
"Everyone needs to be
playing their part to tackle
national problems."
Mr Cameron said the success
of Victoria's anti-gangland
Purana taskforce showed what
could happen with the right
approach to organised crime.
He said clamping down on
amphetamine production was
an important way to rob
organised crime groups such
as bikies of their income.
There has been increasing
concern about the actions of
outlaw motorcycle gangs in
Victoria this year.
Last week, Hells Angels
member Christopher Wayne
Hudson was charged with
murder after a shooting
rampage in the city which
left solicitor Brendan
Keilar dead and two others
seriously injured.
There has also been tension
between the Rebels and
Bandidos gangs, which has
erupted into shootings and
firebombings.
Mr Overland said bikies were
a challenging target for
investigators.
"They can be very difficult.
They use fear and
intimidation and violence to
enforce silence," Mr
Overland said.
While bikies generally
fought among one another, as
was happening between the
Rebels and Bandidos, there
was always a risk innocent
outsiders could be hurt, he
said.
Special hearings in Victoria
at which those questioned
are forced under court order
to testify have been an
important
intelligence-gathering tool
for police.
Mr Cameron and Mr Overland
are in Wellington, New
Zealand, for the Ministerial
Council for Police
The death
dealers
Andrew Rule
June 24, 2007
Handguns are generally
sourced in the United States
or stolen from gun dealers
and owners.
Handguns are generally
sourced in the United States
or stolen from gun dealers
and owners.
AFTER he fired the shots
that killed Brendan Keilar
and wounded two others, the
gunman placed the pistol
barrel under his chin. For a
moment, he seemed set to
kill himself, but he lost
his nerve and ran. If he had
pulled the trigger, it would
have blown his head off.
It's that sort of gun.
A court will formally decide
who carried out the
shootings but the handgun is
already guilty. It is
illegal in Australia on two
counts: it combines a
brutally heavy calibre with
a short barrel that makes it
easy to hide, a recipe for
carnage in criminal hands.
And it is a product of a
sinister black market that,
like the drug trade, ran out
of control while authorities
concentrated on easier
targets.
"A highly concealable heavy
hitter" is how one disgusted
licensed gun dealer
describes the weapon used to
kill the heroic Melbourne
lawyer Brendan Keilar and
wound Dutch backpacker Paul
de Waard and dancer Kara
Douglas. Overseas, such a
pistol is used by "narcotics
agents, undercover cops and
bodyguards", the dealer
says. And gangsters, of
course.
In Australia only an
underworld enforcer or the
dangerously deluded — or
both, it seemed last Monday
— would carry such a man
killer, more powerful than
Victoria Police service
revolvers.
The pistol that blighted so
many lives was found at a
city building site soon
after the shootings. It is a
.40 calibre Llama Minimax.
It is small, relatively
light and yet, with its
hefty calibre, all too
deadly. Its stubby barrel is
not made for accuracy — to
hit targets or hunt — but to
blow a hole in humans at
murderously close range.
A few years ago, a handgun
like that, or its Chinese
equivalent, would have
brought between $1000 and
$2000. But the black market
is so turbocharged by drugs,
money and paranoia that it
could bring much more now.
The word on the underworld
rumour mill is that the city
gunman paid $5000 for the
murder weapon less than two
weeks ago.
For something that can
destroy a life with such
awful efficiency, the Llama
is a relatively crude tool.
Not quite, perhaps, the
"gangster junk" that purists
might label it, but so
poorly thought of by
legitimate target shooters
that no dealership sells
Llamas in Australia, and few
were ever imported in the
past. The murder weapon
almost certainly reached
Australia through an
underground network as
pernicious as the drug trade
— and inextricably entwined
with it.
In the dog-eat-dog
underworld, drug money and
gun violence go together.
Melbourne's underworld war
proved that. But last Monday
morning it intruded into the
workaday world and innocent
blood was spilled.
The path that ended with
death in William Street
began at a factory in
northern Spain, the Basque
region that has produced
terrorism for decades and
cheap pistols for much
longer. For most of the 20th
century the area boasted
three pistol-making plants,
mostly making copies of
American brands Colt and
Smith & Wesson. One factory,
run by the Gabilondo Y Cia
company, made pistols at
Vitoria until 2003, when it
moved to Legutiano under a
new name, Fabrinor.
Arms dealers sell to whoever
buys. In 1943, the firm
supplied the Nazis in
German-occupied territories
with thousands of specially
badged pistols. After the
war it found new markets,
including a niche for a
two-shot "pistol" disguised
as an office stapler, which
authorities feared would be
used by terrorists.
From the mid-1990s until it
closed in 2005 the firm was
making 20,000 pistols a
year, with 17,000 a year
going to the gun-hungry US.
It is almost certainly one
of these that shot Brendan
Keilar and the other two
victims in Melbourne. So how
did it get here?
While it's possible the
pistol was exported to the
Philippines and then
smuggled here by light plane
or small boats through Papua
New Guinea, Timor or the
Pacific Islands, it is far
more likely it came via
America. It was probably
bought there as part of a
job lot for as little as
$US400 ($A470) new or even
$US200 second hand. And it's
likely the buyer was
fronting for an outlaw bikie
gang with a proven smuggling
route all fixed.
Outlaw bikies are known for
trafficking amphetamines.
But their link with guns
goes back further and runs
deeper.
When police raid bikie gangs
looking for drugs they do
not always find them, but
they usually find firearms.
Such as the raid on a Nomads
clubhouse in suburban
Thomastown in 2004 when a
policeman accidentally
kicked a step, which fell
apart to reveal five
handguns.
A raid in country Victoria
uncovered a cannon, two
machine-guns and
night-vision goggles.
From their beginnings in the
US after World War II, the
"one percenter" outlaw gangs
fostered an image of
hard-living "cowboys" riding
steel horses across a
mythical frontier, guns on
hips. A lot of rebel gang
members were ex-military
people who knew too much
about guns to live without
them. Next step was to trade
in them, and so gun-running
has also always been a bikie
cash cow.
Australian Hells Angels
brought back the recipe for
amphetamines from the US in
the 1980s and bikies have
dominated the "speed" trade
here since. But guns, the
other side of their
business, still have to be
imported.
According to underworld
sources and former police,
the most common smuggling
method is to hide pistols in
engine blocks and mechanical
parts imported from the US.
"Bikies are constantly
involved with cars and
trucks. They loved bringing
in big cars like Cadillacs
to restore and drive
around," says a former drug
squad policeman. "They would
fill the sump with
stripped-down pistols."
Sniffer dogs don't find guns
covered in oil. And, hidden
in engine blocks, they are
undetected by X-rays. The
only way to find them would
be to intercept and strip
every engine passing through
every port. Barely one in 20
shipping containers is
searched, so that's
unlikely.
Even if systematic searches
were done at big ports such
as Melbourne and Sydney,
officials might not be as
efficient at some smaller
ports around Australia. Such
as in Tasmania, for
instance, not just Hobart
but sleepy Burnie and
Devonport.
Underworld lore has it that
most new black market
pistols arrive in Melbourne
from the south, across Bass
Strait. If "the Territory"
is the Deep North, Tasmania
is the Deep South. Before
the Port Arthur massacre in
1996, Tasmania was one of
four states and territories
with much laxer gun laws —
and enforcement — than in
more heavily populated
Victoria and NSW.
A sparse population
scattered over a large area
of wilderness, a tradition
of hunting and fishing and a
rural-based economy meant it
had more in common with
outback Queensland or the
Northern Territory than with
Victoria. Gun use there
reflected that — at all
levels of society. In a
place where many people are
related or connected, gun
enthusiasts include police,
prison and Customs officers
as well as farmers,
fishermen and forestry
workers, some of whom
resented the post-Port
Arthur laws that demanded
they hand in certain
weapons. Not all did, hiding
guns and creating a cache of
"orphan" (unregistered) guns
that became part of a black
market linking some former
mainstream shooters with
underworld elements.
Enter the bikies. Tasmania
offers cheap land in
isolated areas, yet is only
a short plane trip or boat
ride from Melbourne.
Inevitably bikie gangs such
as the Coffin Cheaters and
the Black Uhlans saw it as a
good place to do things away
from prying eyes. Rural
solitude is ideal for
producing amphetamines and
dealing in cannabis and
guns. With the state's small
population, low employment
and depressed wages, the
bikies and their associates
exert influence with both
muscle and money.
It is widely known in
underworld and police
circles that large groups of
bikies ride the Spirit of
Tasmania back and forth
regularly, and not to take
the fresh air. Vehicles and
luggage are not routinely
searched and, in any case,
the bikies are skilled hands
at building caches for drugs
and guns into vehicles.
In theory, guns should be no
easier to import to
Tasmania's ports than those
on the mainland.
Anecdotally, they are. One
reason is that until the
2001 terrorist attacks, US
Navy ships regularly called
into Hobart (and Fremantle)
en route to the Middle East.
Authorities either deny or
ignore it for diplomatic
reasons, but it is a fact
that US sailors routinely
smuggled in large numbers of
handguns, easily done
because they do not have to
clear Customs. There is
proof this also happened in
Melbourne, and every reason
to think it still happens in
any port where US war ships
call for rest and
recreation.
On November 12, 1998, for
instance, the huge aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln
anchored in the Derwent
River and most of its 5500
sailors came ashore over
five days. One group carried
a wooden crate through the
rudimentary "beach guard" on
Princes Wharf, hailed a taxi
and went to a nightclub for
a pre-arranged meeting.
Inside were 40 new Colt .45
calibre semi-automatic
pistols, a favourite US
military sidearm.
Not only lethal handguns,
these were prized
collectors' items commanding
a premium that made the
crate of 40 worth more than
$100,000 on the black
market. Today, they would be
worth up to three times as
much, an indication of how
the black market has been
inflated by drug money, and
the alarming penchant of
nightclub poseurs to carry
"a piece".
Although smuggling guns is
an easy way for American
sailors (and soldiers) to
raise local currency, the
aircraft carrier crew was
not after money this time.
As part of a pre-arranged
plan, it swapped the crate
of pistols for another
crate. This held a breeding
pair of young Tasmanian
devils, trapped to order a
few days before near
Richmond, east of Hobart.
Americans are fascinated by
the animals because of the
popularity of the Warner
Bros cartoon character Taz.
The devils were smuggled on
board the ship. And the
pistols? Almost all of them
were taken to the mainland
and sold covertly, not all
to active criminals.
A former policeman, posted
to the Melbourne docks to
protect US ships from
anti-nuclear protesters in
the mid-1980s, recalls
several of his colleagues
swapping their police
jackets for new pistols
taken from the ship's
armoury.
"The first time I went was
for the USS Sterett. For
some reason the crew were
mad on collecting jackets
everywhere they went.
Obviously the armoury
officer had done a deal with
the sailors, because they
would take your jacket, then
direct you to the armoury
guy and he would give you
the pistol," the former
policeman told The Sunday
Age.
"The funny thing was that
every time a (US) warship
came into port after that,
cops would be running around
collecting jackets to swap
for pistols. They must have
got dozens. From memory they
were nine-millimetre
Berettas."
US Navy ships have visited
Australian ports only rarely
since September 11, 2001.
But plenty of cruise ships
and freighters do, and
dozens of them visit
Tasmania's ports. Somehow,
somewhere, illegal handguns
are flowing in unchecked,
according to underworld and
police sources.
In Melbourne's northern
suburbs, underground dealers
have boxes full of
American-made handguns:
Colts, Rugers and Smith &
Wessons, in calibres from
.22 to .45. Most sell for
about $5000 each, but
$20,000 will get five,
allowing a cashed-up buyer
to sell four to others and
keep one "for nothing".
Those willing to take the
risk can drive them to
Sydney, where they bring up
to $8000 each.
The most favoured pistols
are the most concealable:
like the lives of most of
those who buy them, they are
nasty, brutish and short.
And every one that ends up
on the streets, under a car
seat or stuck down the back
of someone's jeans is only a
heartbeat away from
repeating the horror of what
happened in Melbourne last
Monday.
Perhaps those who buy them
should know that when
Christopher Wayne Hudson
gave himself up after two
days on the run, his left
wrist was cut to the bone.
Regrets; he's had a few.
Gun bikie's
wound mystery
Article from: The Daily
Telegraph
By Charisse Ede and Jeff
Turnbull
June 22, 2007 12:00am
THE man charged over
Melbourne's triple shooting
was last night under armed
guard in hospital following
surgery for a mystery arm
injury that prevented his
appearance in court.
Christopher Wayne Hudson,
31, did not appear in
Melbourne Magistrates Court
yesterday as expected, after
being charged with murder
and attempted murder
following Monday's shooting
incident.
When Hudson gave himself up
on Wednesday, after three
days on the run, his left
wrist was heavily bandaged.
Police said the injury had
occurred before his arrest,
but refused to reveal what
had caused it.
"Christopher Hudson is
undergoing day surgery at
the St Vincent's Hospital
and will not be released
today on the advice of
medical experts," a police
spokeswoman said yesterday.
She would not elaborate on
how Hudson, a member of the
Hells Angels bikie gang, was
hurt, nor on speculation his
injury was self-inflicted.
Hudson remained under armed
guard in hospital overnight
while doctors assessed his
recovery. He is expected to
be moved to a maximum
security jail when released
from hospital.
Hudson's lawyer Patrick
Dwyer also would not reveal
how his client injured his
arm.
"All I wish to say is that
this matter is currently
before the court and it
would be inappropriate for
me to comment," Mr Dwyer
said.
Hudson's stint in hospital
comes as one of his victims
– Dutch backpacker Paul de
Waard, 25, woke from a
medically induced coma
yesterday.
Mr de Waard, who has been in
Australia for 12 months on
holiday, was greeted by the
sight of his parents and
siblings, who travelled to
Melbourne from his homeland
this week.
His parents, Hans de Waard
and Maria Heyden, and
brothers Bartjan, 31, and
Erik, 28, brought him Dutch
beer and food.
Melbourne's Dutch Consul
Hans Nieuwland said Mr de
Waard's family had given him
great strength.
"Paul is currently intubated
so he's unable to speak, but
he's certainly aware that
the family is there and the
brothers are already
offering him Grolsch beer
and Dutch food," Mr
Nieuwland said.
"The family hasn't seen Paul
for 11 months because he's
been travelling for a long
time and being on the other
side of the world is
obviously difficult for the
family, so they're very,
very pleased to be united
with him."
Mr De Waard has been
described as a hero in
Australia and the
Netherlands.
Hudson's girlfriend, Kaera
Douglas, 24, who was also
shot, remained in a stable
condition in the intensive
care ward of Royal Melbourne
Hospital last night.
A funeral will be held today
for solicitor Brendan Keilar,
43, who was killed after he
went to the aid of Ms
Douglas.
Bikies' code
makes them hard to crack
* Gary Hughes
* June 23, 2007
THEY impose strict
discipline, operate under
rigid rules, demand
fanatical loyalty, live by a
code of honour and deal
ruthlessly with outside
threats.
They are, in the words of
one senior detective,
"frighteningly like the
police, except their motives
are different".
It is the military-style
structures of outlaw
motorcycle gangs -- a legacy
from their establishment in
the US following World War
II by ex-servicemen looking
for the sort of camaraderie
they had in the armed
services. It is what makes
them so effective and so
hard for law enforcement
authorities to penetrate.
"It is frightening when you
look at the way they
operate, their hierarchical
structure, their
constitutions and their
rules," says the head of
Western Australia's
organised crime division,
Superintendent Kim Porter.
"They have rules that are
like the army and the
police. As a consequence,
they are hard to deal with.
They also have an attitude
of 'we don't care if we go
to jail'."
This week's national manhunt
for Hells Angel Christopher
Wayne Hudson, who was wanted
over a shooting in Melbourne
that left one dead and two
seriously wounded, focused
attention on outlaw
motorcycle gangs and their
increasing involvement in
organised crime. Mr Hudson,
29, surrendered after the
Melbourne chapters of the
Hells Angels refused to
extend him protection. He
has been charged with
murdering 43-year-old father
of three Brendan Keilar and
attempting to murder model
Kara Douglas, 24, and
25-year-old Dutch backpacker
Paul de Waard.
The case of Mr Hudson, who
defected from the Finks
motorcycle gang to the Hells
Angels in Queensland,
prompted calls for a
tougher, more national
approach to the problem.
The growing threat posed by
bikie gangs and the best way
to defeat it is being
investigated by a federal
parliamentary committee on
organised crime. It was
during one of the
committee's recent hearings
in Perth that Superintendent
Porter spelt out the
difficulties confronting
police.
One of the dilemmas facing
authorities is that outlaw
motorcycle gangs are
expanding their crime
operations while
infiltrating legitimate
businesses.
Intelligence gathered by the
Australian Crime Commission
shows there were 26 new
chapters of 10 gangs
established across the
country in 2005-06. This
brought the number of "fully
patched" members of the 35
groups operating to about
3500.
Motorcycle gangs are heavily
involved in the amphetamines
industry, through
manufacturing and dealing.
But according to the ACC,
their "more sophisticated
and dynamic" operations have
seen them diversify into
extortion, prostitution,
theft, fraud, money
laundering and rebirthing of
stolen vehicles.
But it is the move by the
gangs into legitimate
businesses, such as
nightclubs, bars, security
and transport, that is
posing new problems for
authorities. It is believed
some of the legitimate
businesses being established
are being used to launder
profits from criminal
activities.
The parliamentary inquiry
has been told that the
labour shortage in Western
Australia is allowing bikie
gangs to move members into
the security and
crowd-control industries.
A confidential intelligence
dossier on bikie clubs
prepared in the 1990s
revealed how they reached
agreement on carving up the
profits from crime.
According to the report, a
summit of the most powerful
clubs was held i
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