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Bikie gangs battle for underworld
At least there is no organized motorcycle gang related activities here in India as of now!
Source: Bikie gangs battle for underworld
At least there is no organized motorcycle gang related activities here in India as of now!
OUTLAW bikie gangs are amassing unprecedented power in Victoria, targeting Melbourne's nightclubs, tabletop dancing venues and security businesses with extortion, threats and violence.
The Brumby government is facing renewed pressure to fall into line with other states and introduce anti-association laws to curb the bikies' growing power and links to organised crime.
Senior Victoria Police sources have told The Sunday Age that several gangs - including the Comancheros and the Bandidos - are vying to dominate Melbourne's underworld and warned that violence was likely to rise, especially if the rival gangs launched a battle for the city's methamphetamine trade.
''The underworld killings left a vacuum in Melbourne and the bikies, particularly the Comancheros, have been quick to move in. A lot of these guys are just criminals who've never ridden a motorbike,'' a police source said.
Senior sources say the gangs' rise to power in Melbourne has flourished since the recent crackdown in other states.
The Police Association has called for a specialist squad to be established to investigate the bikies' activities.
The Comancheros recently established a Melbourne headquarters and appointed as president Amad ''Jay'' Malkoun, a convicted heroin trafficker and former kickboxer.
Malkoun, who declined to comment on the police claims, is widely regarded as the manager of notorious King Street strip club Spearmint Rhino and has close links with other venues including Dreams Gentlemen's Club on Elizabeth Street.
The Sunday Age has been told the Comancheros are using heavy-handed tactics to extort tens of thousands of dollars from nightclubs. Police are believed to be investigating links between the gang and a security company, Nitro Security, owned by club member Mick Murray, which controls the doors of several venues.
Police also have in their sights Bandidos club members after the savage bashing last month of former Heat nightclub manager Robert Bottazzi. The Sunday Age has learnt that Mr Bottazzi was ambushed by three Bandidos members after he was lured to a meeting at Port Melbourne. He was bashed repeatedly with baseball bats over his failure to settle a $200,000 debt with a former owner of the now-defunct Crown Casino venue. Mr Bottazzi did not return calls but several sources confirmed the story.
One of the bikies believed responsible for the bashing is a former heavyweight kickboxer who was named by the Purana taskforce as a suspect in the underworld murder of Mark Mallia in 2003.
According to police and nightclub sources, the Comancheros are extorting $1500 a week from an exclusive Prahran venue, after assaulting an owner last December. The owner of the Greville Street club is believed to have hired international kickboxing promoter and taekwondo expert Tarik Solak as his bodyguard.
Police Association secretary Senior Sergeant Greg Davies said Victoria needed a specialist police squad to investigate the gangs. ''There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that bikie gangs are moving into Victoria in big numbers,'' he said.
He also urged the state government to adopt laws similar to those recently introduced in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia that make it easier for police to monitor and curb the illegal activities of bikie gangs.
After Hells Angels member Peter Zervas was bashed to death at Sydney Airport last year, the state government introduced laws that empowered the state's attorney-general to declare bikie gangs criminal organisations and ban members from associating.
While Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu has vowed to clamp down on bikie gangs, the Brumby government has so far resisted pressure from other states.
Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland recently called for a national approach to the problem. ''If you don't have national consistency, you'll simply see these gangs going to the weakest point,'' he said.
The Brumby government is facing renewed pressure to fall into line with other states and introduce anti-association laws to curb the bikies' growing power and links to organised crime.
Senior Victoria Police sources have told The Sunday Age that several gangs - including the Comancheros and the Bandidos - are vying to dominate Melbourne's underworld and warned that violence was likely to rise, especially if the rival gangs launched a battle for the city's methamphetamine trade.
''The underworld killings left a vacuum in Melbourne and the bikies, particularly the Comancheros, have been quick to move in. A lot of these guys are just criminals who've never ridden a motorbike,'' a police source said.
Senior sources say the gangs' rise to power in Melbourne has flourished since the recent crackdown in other states.
The Police Association has called for a specialist squad to be established to investigate the bikies' activities.
The Comancheros recently established a Melbourne headquarters and appointed as president Amad ''Jay'' Malkoun, a convicted heroin trafficker and former kickboxer.
Malkoun, who declined to comment on the police claims, is widely regarded as the manager of notorious King Street strip club Spearmint Rhino and has close links with other venues including Dreams Gentlemen's Club on Elizabeth Street.
The Sunday Age has been told the Comancheros are using heavy-handed tactics to extort tens of thousands of dollars from nightclubs. Police are believed to be investigating links between the gang and a security company, Nitro Security, owned by club member Mick Murray, which controls the doors of several venues.
Police also have in their sights Bandidos club members after the savage bashing last month of former Heat nightclub manager Robert Bottazzi. The Sunday Age has learnt that Mr Bottazzi was ambushed by three Bandidos members after he was lured to a meeting at Port Melbourne. He was bashed repeatedly with baseball bats over his failure to settle a $200,000 debt with a former owner of the now-defunct Crown Casino venue. Mr Bottazzi did not return calls but several sources confirmed the story.
One of the bikies believed responsible for the bashing is a former heavyweight kickboxer who was named by the Purana taskforce as a suspect in the underworld murder of Mark Mallia in 2003.
According to police and nightclub sources, the Comancheros are extorting $1500 a week from an exclusive Prahran venue, after assaulting an owner last December. The owner of the Greville Street club is believed to have hired international kickboxing promoter and taekwondo expert Tarik Solak as his bodyguard.
Police Association secretary Senior Sergeant Greg Davies said Victoria needed a specialist police squad to investigate the gangs. ''There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that bikie gangs are moving into Victoria in big numbers,'' he said.
He also urged the state government to adopt laws similar to those recently introduced in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia that make it easier for police to monitor and curb the illegal activities of bikie gangs.
After Hells Angels member Peter Zervas was bashed to death at Sydney Airport last year, the state government introduced laws that empowered the state's attorney-general to declare bikie gangs criminal organisations and ban members from associating.
While Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu has vowed to clamp down on bikie gangs, the Brumby government has so far resisted pressure from other states.
Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland recently called for a national approach to the problem. ''If you don't have national consistency, you'll simply see these gangs going to the weakest point,'' he said.
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