BY: Josh Robertson
Source: couriermail.com.au
Source: The Courier-Mail
BIKIE Inc, Gold Coast chapter, is a web of intrigue: more than 140 companies and $32 million in property linked to several dozen men and their associates who collectively boast almost 300 serious criminal convictions and 800 years of jail time.
For the first time, The Courier-Mail can detail the strength and the criminal and business links of the Glitter Strip's outlaw motorcycle clubs. We can unveil the growing sophistication and resourcefulness of the Coast's outlaw bikie gangs as they square up against police armed with new powers such as asset confiscation, anti-association laws - so far unused - and powers to jail uncooperative witnesses.There is a sprinkling of outlaw clubs across the state but nowhere else has the concentration found on the Gold Coast.
The prevalence of serious criminality among Gold Coast club members and their status as underworld enforcers distinguishes them from regional Queensland chapters, according to police.
"Some of the smaller chapters might sit around and smoke pot and that's about it," a source within Hydra, the QPS squad targeting bikies, said. "You can't say the same thing about the major Gold Coast clubs."
The local scene is dominated by the Bandidos and Finks, with four other clubs - Black Uhlans, Lone Wolf, Nomads and Rebels - having a significant presence. Each is highly territorial. The Hells Angels, although based at Eight Mile Plains in Brisbane, are also significant because of suspected links to Gold Coast crime figures and their enlarged presence in NSW following a defection by Sydney-based Bandidos this year.
Read the full report in Saturday's print edition of The Courier-Mail [and explore the Bikie Inc. web of intrigue diagrams by clicking here, or the detailed club profiles below.]
