OFF THE WIRE
Acting Inspector Darren Wiseman says the raids were successful.Two men with alleged links to an outlaw motorcycle gxxg will face court on firearm and drug charges.
Early morning raids on the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gxxg in Bendigo and Redesdale uncovered a pistol, sawn-off shotgun, longarm rifle, amphetamines, cannabis and hydro equipment.
Forty-six police from the central Victoria response unit and Taskforce Echo issued the search warrants yesterday at 7am at a Rebels clubhouse in Rohs Road, a house in Mitchell Street and two houses in Redesdale.
A 28-year-old Redesdale man has been charged with possession of an unregistered longarm rifle, possession of an unregistered handgun, possession of a firearm without a certificate, failure to secure a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of amphetamines and use of amphetamines.
A 38-year-old Redesdale man has been charged with trafficking cannabis, cultivating cannabis and use and possession of cannabis.
Central Victoria Local Area Commander Acting Inspector Darren Wiseman said one of the men was a fully patched member of the motorcycle gang and the other was an associate.
“There is a chapter of the rebels motorcycle gang in Bendigo and they are always under the scrutiny of police because of the activities they involve themselves in,” he said.
“Obviously the fully patched member is very active in the club.
“The investigation is always ongoing as far as Victoria Police is concerned around the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
“To us this is a good result for the community of Bendigo and surrounds that we’ve removed the firearms from the possession of outlaw motorcycle gang members.
“Obviously somewhere, somehow they could have been used for some sort of criminal activity and it could have been much worse.”
Acting inspector Wiseman said the investigation had been going for a month and both men had been bailed to appear in Bendigo Magistrates Court.
“Any information from the public is always a great assistance.
“Because of the Echo Taskforce’s expertise in dealing with outlaw motorcycle gxxgs, we utilised their specialisation in the area.
“Overall, it’s been a great success on our behalf.
“The message is regardless of what criminal enterprise you’re involved in, whether it is organised crime or links with outlaw motorcycle gxxgs, we will always be targeting these sorts of people.”
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