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Police seize $3m Hells Angels' assets
By John Silvester
June 28, 2004
Police have seized assets worth $3 million from the president of
a Hells Angels chapter in a drive to destroy the financial
networks of alleged crime syndicates.
Detectives will use new laws to target corrupt police, armed
robbers, burglary rings, car theft rackets and drug traffickers.
Under laws introduced in December, the threshold where police can
seize tainted assets has been lowered and the categories of crime
covered has been broadened.
In the Hells Angels case, police were able to move because they
found 230 grams of amphetamines during raids on June 4. In the
operation, police arrested five men, including Stephen Rogers,
42, president of a Melbourne Hells Angels chapter.
Police alleged in court that they found drugs and chemicals for
the manufacture of amphetamines at Rogers' home and $37,600 cash
at the Hells Angels' clubhouse in Campbellfield.
In the past, asset seizure laws could be used only if police
found a minimum 1.25 kilograms of amphetamines, but the amount
has now been dropped to 75 grams.
Police have taken out a court order to freeze 57 separate assets
owned by Rogers, covering six properties, bank accounts, trucks,
high-powered cars, motorcycles and a set of model cars valued at
$46,000. The total value is $3 million.
In another case, police have begun court action to seize the
family homes of a group of men, including a suspended Victorian
policeman, charged with the theft of $1.6 million of cigarettes
from a Port Melbourne Customs storage area on January 20.
Police allege five men used fake documents to give the appearance
that they were removing the cigarettes legitimately.
The head of the organised crime investigation division, Detective
Superintendent Richard Grant, said police had seized $480,000 and
restrained two properties. He said that under the new laws,
police had begun to target the assets of major crime figures.
"There will certainly be a greater emphasis on identifying
and seizing assets from people charged with serious crimes. We
will be using the new laws to disrupt, disable and dismantle
organised crime groups," he said.
The strategy of destroying criminal asset bases will also be used
against corrupt police. The ethical standards department has set
up its own asset-recovery unit and has identified farms, luxury
cars, properties, machinery and livestock believed to have been
bought with tainted money.
Superintendent Grant said the new laws closed a loophole where
criminals used hire cars and rented properties to try to
safeguard their property. "Now we can substitute like for
like. If they use a hire car during crimes we can take their
motor vehicle."
He said the criminal proceeds squad would identify assets of
suspects before they were raided. The assets would then be frozen
until the suspect was prosecuted. If the suspect was found not
guilty, the assets would be returned.
The State Government plans to introduce laws so that suspects
lose their assets without criminal conviction. This would mean
that suspects would have to prove their assets were obtained
lawfully.
Superintendent Grant said police intended to seize the profits of
organised crime. "The laws have been extensively broadened
and I believe it will become an effective tool in fighting
organised crime," he said.