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Gold Coast bracing for bikie showdown
By Paula Doneman and Greg Stolz
September 02, 2006 04:12am
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SIMMERING tensions between rival bikie gangs threaten to boil over on the Gold
Coast this weekend as hundreds descend on the tourist strip for an annual
gathering.
Police reinforcements are being sent from Brisbane to monitor the gangs amid
concerns there will be a repeat of the public shootout between the Hells Angels
and Finks during a kickboxing tournament at the Coast in March.
Gang members this week warned they will fight back if attacked.
Meetings have been held between clubs this week to re-affirm a complex web of
alliances.
Bikie sources said the Finks, Lone Wolves, Nomads, the Bandidos and Black Uhlans
would unite against other gangs.
Members of the NSW-based gang the Commancheros - who broke away from the
Bandidos after 1984's bloody Milperra Father's Day shootout - are also attending
this weekend's meet and are believed to be siding with the Hells Angels.
Several gangs, including the Black Uhlans and the Nomads, are each holding
national runs with members travelling from all over Queensland and interstate.
The Gold Coast has been a hotbed of violence and revenge attacks as six rival
gangs battle over territory used for criminal enterprise such as illicit drug
distribution.
The shootout in March was triggered by the defection of a gang member from the
long-time resident Finks to the Hell's Angels.
It prompted a police crackdown culminating in a series of arrests and raids.
The gangs are visiting the Coast as part of Bike Week, an annual event held for
motorcycle enthusiasts.
Bikies sources said the Bandidos, Finks, and Black Uhlans were expected to ride
together on the "poker run" which is open to all motorcyclists.
The gangs use the run for fundraising and recruitment.
Police will keep a close watch on the Rebels and Bandidos, Australia's two
largest gangs, which have been locked in an interstate feud involving
firebombings, drive-by shootings and home invasions.
Bikie sources say the Rebels declared a national war on the Bandidos several
months ago, after one of their senior members defected.
Concerns about revenge attacks are so severe that the Bandidos gang has ordered
its members not to wear colours or ride their motorbikes unless they are in a
group.
Several gangs at war interstate will be leaving members behind this weekend to
ensure their clubhouses and businesses are not left vulnerable to attack, bikie
sources said.
A Bandidos bikie warned that the gang was "going prepared" to the Gold Coast but
refused to comment on whether members would be armed.
"We are not going to take a backward step to any club; we don't care who they
are.
"We will be there in full (club) colours and if anyone makes a move we will
defend ourselves and our club," the member said.
Gold Coast Superintendent Brett Pointing said yesterday there would be a strong
police presence throughout the Coast.
"We are aware of some tensions between some outlaw motorcycle groups and
particularly in the light of the Royal Pines incident," Supt Pointing said.
"There is a strong police presence in place here including Gold Coast police,
State Crime Operations and Operations Support Command throughout the duration of
the event."
Further adding to the tension, several interstate gangs, including Life and
Death, have the Gold Coast in their sights to establish chapters of their clubs.
A senior NSW detective said yesterday that the Gold Coast was an attractive area
for the gangs' "criminal economies".
"It is a mixture of markets. To them the Gold Coast is the Kings Cross of
Queensland. There is a tourist trade, nightclubs where they can sell their drugs
and an underbelly where they can hide," said Detective Superintendent Ken McKay
of the NSW Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad.
