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.Bikies at war over drugs, nightclubs
28-5-05
BIKIE industry insiders have described the wild brawl at the South Australian
Dance Music Awards at AAMI Stadium this week as the "single most serious bikie
incident in years".
The insiders told The Advertiser yesterday that the incident on Monday night –
which culminated in two shots being fired in a room full of 600 people – was
about drugs, money and power.
There is little doubt many people are concerned about the underworld activities
of bikie gangs, which continue unabated on our doorstep.
The wild brawl during the music awards ceremony between Hells Angels and Rebels
bikies could quite easily have claimed the life of an innocent person.
Witnesses told police seven or eight people – believed to be Rebels bikie
members – gatecrashed the awards and attacked a table of Hells Angels bikies
inside AAMI Stadium's Park Convention Centre at West Lakes.
Police said several members of the Hells Angels were sitting at a table paid for
by Heaven nightclub, while members and associates of the Rebels were at a table
paid for by rival city nightclub Rise. Tables and chairs were thrown during the
brawl as terrified guests ran for safety and the night's proceedings were
suspended.
At the height of the brawl, gunshots were fired inside the venue and later
outside at a car speeding away.
The unexpected violence in front of more than 600 guests brought unsuspecting
members of the public into the middle of a violent gang war. Police suspect the
animosity between the clubs stems from drugs and is directly related to growing
tension over turf wars linked to the Rise and Heaven nightclubs.
Heaven nightclub manager John Pike yesterday said he could not comment on the
issue because of the police investigation. Rise nightclub could not be
contacted.
Sectors of the SA motorcycling fraternity admit the stereotype of the
traditional bikie has changed for the worse in recent years.
No one was seriously injured in Monday's wild exchange – but many are demanding
answers.
One industry insider told The Advertiser the dispute was all about drugs, money
and power. "It's about one club trying to be better than the other – it's a
power game," said the insider, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of
retribution.
Operation Avatar is a South Australian police taskforce set up in 1999.
Its prime role was to stop the criminal activities of bikie gangs. However,
after six years of intense investigations, the current head of Avatar, Detective
Inspector Graham Goodwin, told the media this week that police knew of no such
feuding between the Rebels and the Hells Angels until Monday night's clash. He
admitted the taskforce was "concerned when something like this happens and we
haven't been more proactive in stopping it . . . sometimes, it's a failing of
our intelligence holdings and gatherings."
More than 50 police officers were initially assigned to Avatar, including
detectives from the Drug and Organised Crime Investigation Branch. "What
happened on Monday night shows how ineffective Avatar is and it is absolutely
astounding they knew nothing about what was going on," the industry insider
said.
"Everyone in the bikie industry has known of the disputes between the Hells
Angels and the Rebels for the past year. The point is, anyone could have been
killed by stray bullets from the gun that was fired in that room on Monday
night.
"What it goes to show is that these people are so confident that they will do
that sort of thing in public. They've got an attitude, a boldness that says we
can do anything and we've got control of the city, and this has got to be
stopped."
Another concerning issue is bikies selling drugs to young people in nightclubs.
The insider said the bikies were infiltrating "the very venues where we think
our young people are safe".
Last year, Premier Mike Rann told Parliament that police intelligence showed a
number of crowd controllers at nightclubs had direct links with bikies involved
in the production of illicit drugs.
The insider said: "There is some talk that the Rebels are now lacing their speed
with heroin so those taking it feel the need for it every week, and hence, they
are making more money out of it."
Premier Rann said this week bikies were "drug dealers on motorbikes". Only time
will tell if actions speak louder than words.
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