OFF THE WIRE
Heavily armed police have raided four properties linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang in Melbourne's north this morning.
A senior member of the Nomad chapter of the Hells Angels is in custody following the raids in Thomastown, Greensborough and Bundoora about 8.30am.
Police are believed to have blasted their way into a heavily fortified Nomad clubhouse in Thomastown, where an explosion was heard at the time of the raids.
Detective Superintendent Doug Fryer said all four properties were linked to the Nomad chapter of the Hells Angels, and police were required to force entry to two of the properties, which were heavily fortified.
"Certainly the clubhouse up in Thomastown was (heavily fortified) but we were able to effect entry to those premises quite quickly," Superintendent Fryer told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
"I can’t really go into detail as to how we did it."
He said there was no resistance at any of the properties, and no one was injured.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-blast-entry-to-biker-fortress-20110608-1frou.html#ixzz1OdnabttF
Police arrested a 42-year-old Greensborough man - a senior office bearer of the Nomad chapter - who was being interviewed this morning.
Police have cordoned off the area around the Thomastown premises, where the gate appeared to have been badly damaged.
At 10.15am two Hells Angels members arrived at the scene and were taken into the premises by police.
Superintendent Fryer said today’s action was the culmination of an investigation into a number of serious assaults, firearms offences and allegations of drug trafficking by members of the Nomads chapter.
The raids were carried out by members of Taskforce Echo, formed in Victoria in February to crack down on outlaw bikie gangs, and the Australian Federal Police’s serious and organised crime unit.
‘‘This is part of our ongoing focus around outlaw motorcycle gang criminality and certainly Victoria Police is continuing to take affirmative action to prevent, detect and disrupt organised criminality among outlaw motorcycle gang clubs, an we will continue to do so,’’ Superintendent Fryer said.
Police are expected to search the properties for much of the day.
Superintendent Fryer said today’s raids follows similar ones at outlaw bikie clubhouses and homes in Victoria since Taskforce Echo was formed in February.
During those raids police had seized pistols, revolvers, shotguns, tasers, other prohibited weapons and drugs, he said.
‘‘For us this is just an ongoing exercise in focusing on outlaw motorcycle gangs and those specifically that are involved in organised criminality,’’ Superintendent Fryer said.
‘‘There are certainly a number of them (bikie gangs) that have international networks of criminality . I’m not saying all of the outlaw motorcycle gangs but certainly some of them.’’
There are up to 24 bikie gangs in Victoria operating out of 56 clubhouses, many heavily fortified to keep out intruders, especially rival gangs.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-blast-entry-to-biker-fortress-20110608-1frou.html#ixzz1OdnfE2Cz
