OFF THE WIRE
Source: news.smh.com.au
West Australian police have charged two Gypsy Jokers bikie gang members after allegedly seizing more than a kilogram of methylamphetamine and a World War II rifle in targeted searches.
Two members of the outlaw motorcycle gang's Kalgoorlie chapter, aged 22 and 43, have been charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply, police said on Friday.
The charges follow the interception and search of a vehicle on the Great Southern Highway east of Perth on Thursday evening, Detective Inspector Paul McMurtrie of the WA Gang Crime Squad said on Friday.
Advertisement: Story continues below Police found 1.3kg of methylamphetamine and more than $3,000 in cash hidden in the vehicle, he said.
WA police later executed four search warrants at properties in Perth and Kalgoorlie, including the Gypsy Jokers clubhouse in the mining town.
At a property at Gosnells in Perth's east, police found an illegal World War II US M1 carbine rifle, 417 rounds of ammunition and a bayonet, Det Insp McMurtrie said.
Det Insp McMurtrie told reporters the seized drugs had an estimated street value of $600,000.
He said taking that amount of methylamphetamine off the streets was a win for the community, adding that aggression, assaults and domestic violence were all linked to the drug.
Det Insp McMurtrie would not speculate on whether motorcycle gangs were targeting well-paid miners in Kalgoorlie, but he noted that miners had large disposable incomes.
The two accused were to appear before the Midland Magistrates Court in Perth on Friday.
