Kellee Nolan
Police blasted their way into a Hells Angels clubhouse in one of a series of raids against the motorbike gang in Melbourne on Wednesday.
People nearby reported explosions as police forced their way into the heavily fortified clubhouse of the Hells Angels Nomads chapter in Thomastown, in Melbourne's north.
Detective Superintendent Doug Fryer would not comment on how police forced entry to the clubhouse, but said no one was in the building and no one was injured in the four raids carried out on Wednesday morning.
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"I can advise that two of the four addresses required forced entry and we utilised our Special Operations Group and in partnership with the Australian Federal Police operational response group," Det Supt Fryer told Fairfax Radio."Certainly the clubhouse in Thomastown was (heavily fortified) and we were able to effect entry to the premises quite quickly."
The raids were carried out about 8.30am (AEST) at three homes, in Thomastown, Greensborough and Bundoora, as well as at the Nomads clubhouse.
Det Supt Fryer said police took a 42-year-old Greensborough man who was a senior office bearer of the Nomad chapter into custody and interviewed him over assaults and firearm matters.
A 26-year-old Thomastown woman was also arrested at a Thomastown address about 10am and was assisting police with their inquiries, police said.
Det Supt Fryer said the raids were part of an investigation into a number of serious assaults, firearms offences and allegations of drug trafficking by members of the Nomads Chapter.
The raids are part of Taskforce Echo, formed in February to "prevent, detect and disrupt organised criminality" among outlaw motorcycle gangs in Victoria.
Det Supt Fryer said over the last couple of months police had raided several outlaw bikie gang clubhouses and homes of members, seizing items such as pistols, revolvers, shotguns, tasers and drugs.
Police were set to spend Wednesday searching the Thomastown clubhouse and the raided homes.
"This is part of a national approach to addressing organised criminality among the bikie gangs, where certainly all the states, territories and the commonwealth agencies are on the same page that they're an issue for us and we'll continue to focus on them," Det Supt Fryer said.
"So we work hand in hand with the commonwealth authorities and the state boundaries are no longer a hindrance to us, because they have never been for the various clubs."
