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Organised Crime and Gangs in Australia refers to the activities of various groups of crime families, organised crime syndicates or underworld activities including drug trafficking, contract killing, racketeering and other crimes in Australia.
The Carlton Crew, based in Melbourne, [1] is an Italian-Australian criminal organisation from Melbourne, Victoria. It was formed in the late 1970s and was named after the Melbourne suburb in which it is based. The organisation had a strong rivalry with the Honoured Society and the Calabrese Family, both of which were Calabrian 'Ndrangheta groups also based in Melbourne. The Carlton Crew had a strong role in the infamous Melbourne gangland killings.
The Honoured Society is a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta group based in Melbourne. [2] [3] [4] In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high-ranking member, was shot in 2002. Ndrangheta operating in Australia include the Arena, Italiano, Muratore, Benvenuto and Condello clans.
The first Serbian mafiosi came to Australia in the late '70s, organised in a Yugoslav clan, their headquarters were some 15 kafanas in Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne. [5] In the '80s the Serbian Mafia was reinforced with the arrival of Serbian immigrants. Milivoje Matović "Miša Kobra", arrived to Sydney in 1986 and became a known gambler who organised big games. His younger brother Braca owed money to the gang of Žorž Stanković, Žorž sent his son Batica for Miša Kobra whose friend Boža Cvetić threw down the street after he had pointed a gun at them. Batica was deported to Serbia and Braca was killed in the meantime. Žorž was killed in 1993 and his son Batica in 1996. [5] In 2005 interviews with Australian Serbs, it was said some 20 Zemun clan members operated in Australia at the time, double the number working prior to Operation Sablja. [5] Serbian boxer Božidar Cvetić who in 2002 was stabbed, [6] now worked as a bouncer in Australia said that Australian police had shown him pictures of some 150 Serbian criminals active in Australia. [5] In May 2007, Australian police saw recruitment to organised crime motorcycle gangs from young Serbs. [7]
Godfather of an Albanian mafia family 'Daut Kadriovski' gained attention of Australian Authorities after creating a drug pipeline through Albanian and Croatian communities in Sydney and Brisbane. [8]
North Asian networks include the Russian mafia [9] and Yakuza. [10]
In 2024, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and The Age reported on connections between Chinese organised crime figures and drug trafficking in Australia via Fiji. [11] [12]
Outlaw motorcycle gangs are present in Australia, with international outlaw clubs like the Bandidos, Hells Angels and Gypsy Jokers as well as other groups that are localised and less widespread. The outlaw bikie scene in Australia is unique in the sense that it avoided the consolidation that occurred elsewhere. [13] In the United States, the four major biker gangs are the Hells Angels, the Outlaws, the Bandidos and Pagans. [13] Elsewhere, the major biker gangs are the local branches of American gangs. The Hells Angels dominate Canada while Europe is divided primarily between the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. [13] The Canadian journalists William Marsden and Julian Sher wrote: "Unlike in Europe or North America, neither the Hells Angels nor the Bandidos succeeded in entirely vanquishing the fiercely independent Australian bikie gangs". [14]
One of the major events in Australian motorcycle gang criminal history was what became known as the Milperra Massacre in 1984, where a fight between two gangs, the Comancheros and the Bandidos in Milperra in the South of Sydney, turned into a gun battle that claimed seven lives - six gang members and a civilian. Despite the shock caused by the Milperra Massacre, bikie gangs increased in number after 1984 due to the profits offered by selling methamphetamine. [13] A consolidation began in 1994 as the larger clubs eliminated the smaller clubs, which caused 35 murders between 1994-2000. [13] The number of clubs was reduced down from 178 in 1994 to 32 in 2000. [13]
While conflict between various clubs has been ever present, in 2008 the gang conflict escalated, with 13 shootings taking place in Sydney in the space of two weeks. [15] Gang violence has become high-profile to the point where various state governments have taken steps to change laws to focus on the problem, and police have set up groups to deal with the threat, including the Crime Gang Task Force in South Australia [16] Bikie gangs in South Australia at least, are involved in drugs, murder, extortion and other forms of intimidation and violence. Bikie gangs in South Australia have diversified their activities into both legal and illegal commercial business enterprises. [16] In Western Australia they are involved in the drug trade [17] Laws to deal with Bikie gangs have been introduced into Northern Territory, South Australia, and are presently being looked at in NSW and Queensland. [18] [19] [20] In early 2009, Comanchero Motorcycle Club and Hells Angels were also believed to be involved in a clash at Sydney Airport. One man was beaten to death in plain view of witnesses at the airport, and police estimated as many as 15 men were involved in the violence. Police documents detail the brawl as a result of a Comanchero gang member and a Hells Angels biker being on the same flight from Melbourne. [21] Four suspects were arrested as a result of the altercation. Including two murders in the capital city, 4 people were killed in the space of a week in Canberra and in Sydney. [22] As a result of heightening violence, New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from 50. [23]
Clubs in Australia include:
Chinese gangs have existed as a low level activity for at least 20 years. [28]
In terms of Chinese gang activity, highly organised crime syndicates in Sydney have looked to Chinese youths on student visas for their recruitment drives. [29] Multimillion-dollar prostitution rackets have been operating in Melbourne for several years, one of the largest by Mulgrave woman Xue Di Yan. [30]
Luke Mitchell, who in 2009 came to the aid of a stranger, was set upon and stabbed by a group of Thai nationals who have since been arrested. [31]
In Australia, the major importer of illicit drugs in recent decades has been 'The Company', according to police. This is a conglomerate run by triad bosses which focuses particularly on methamphetamine and cocaine. It has laundered money through junkets for high-stakes gamblers who visit Crown Casinos in Australia and Macau. [32]
Gangs include: Triad; Spider Boys; [33] Sing Wah; [29] Yee Tong , [29] [34]
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The now-defunct Bogota Cartel of Colombia had operations in Australia. [35] [36] [37]
The Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa Cartel has infiltrated Australia. [38] [39]
Middle-Eastern gangs rose to prominence around 1995–1996 in Australia, most prominently in Sydney. By 2000, the middle Eastern gangs had gained ground in Sydney, conducting extortion against nightclubs, ram raids, and car theft. More recently, drive-by shootings have become more common, with tit for tat drive by shooting starting as early as 1998, and becoming more common in recent years. [40] [41] including a drive by machine gun attack on a police station in Lakemba, Sydney. [42] In 2006, concerns over the lack of intelligence in the wake of revenge attacks, which included stabbings and assaults, by Middle Eastern youths following the Cronulla riots; led the NSW Police to set up a permanent Middle-Eastern Organised Crime squad similar in vein to the existing Asian Crime Squad. [43]
As of 2024, the ongoing feud between the Alameddine crime network and the Brothers for Life of the Hamzy family has led to at least 11 shooting deaths. [44] [45]
In 2016, the Liberal Party began to campaign against what it identified as "Sudanese gangs" in Melbourne, following riots at the Moomba Music Festival in the city. This campaign was criticised by local community leaders and the Green party as an attempt to use "race to win votes and whip up hatred". In reality, South Sudanese Australians only commit around 1% of all crimes in Melbourne, which is higher than their share of the population (0.14%), but not unusually so when adjusted for the low average age of the South Sudanese-born population. [46]
In 2018, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the supposed presence of South Sudanese gangs in Melbourne as a "real concern", with then-Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton claiming that Melburnians were afraid to leave their homes at night due to gang-related violence. Then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews rejected Turnbull's comments. [47]
The debate on "African gangs" in Melbourne was a key part in the Victorian Liberal Party's campaign for the 2018 state election under then-Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. [48] [49] [50]
Criminologists and the police commissioners of Melbourne state that episodes of youth criminality occurring in Melbourne do not amount to "gang activity" or organised crime, according to the definition used by law enforcement. [51] [52] The debate around so-called "African gangs" was highly racialised and resulted in many examples of racist discourse on social media, leading Anthony Kelly, executive officer of of Melbourne's Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre, to describe it as a "racialised moral panic". [51] The aftermath of the panic caused black people in Melbourne to fear that they would be arrested simply for congregating in public spaces, with South Sudanese people reporting high levels of targeting by police. [52]
Examples of homicide include: Melbourne gangland killings; Sydney Airport bikie killing; [53] [54] John Newman.
Australia has known acts of modern terrorism since the 1960s, while the federal parliament, since the 1970s, has enacted legislation seeking to specifically target terrorism. In terms of the predictors of and motivations behind such activities, theories of social disorganisation and anomie describe the clear political and social focus. The Australian government's foreign affairs, defence and humanitarian policies are also pertinent to this analysis, justifying the application of cross-cultural conflict.
These include the Sydney Hilton bombing and Turkish consulate bombing, as well as the activities of militant Islamic groups such as Faheem Khalid; [55] [56] [57] [58] Mohammed Abderrahman (aka Willie Brigitte); [59] [60] Joseph T. Thomas; [61] [62] [63] the Sydney Five and 2005 Sydney terrorism plot.; [64] [65] the Benbrika Group in Melbourne (including Abdul Nacer Benbrika); and the Holsworthy Barracks terror plot. [66] [67] [68] [69]
An example of arson is the Whiskey Au Go Go fire.
An example of sexual assault is the Sydney gang rapes.
Examples of protection rackets, extortion and coercion include Alphonse Gangitano.
Money laundering may be connected with legitimate operations, and has economic impacts. [70] [71] [72]
In relation to counterfeiting, all State, Territory and Federal police are authorised under the Crimes (Currency) Act 1981 [73] to seize and prosecute currency related matters, including domestic and foreign currencies. [74] Counterfeiting can range across films, music, games and other electronic appliances, software, and fashion. [75]
Tax Evasion may be connected with legitimate operations and has an economic impact.
In the 2007 Australian federal budget, the AFP was provided with additional funding of $8.3m over two years to strengthen its capability to pursue serious and complex IP crime, particularly where organised or transnational criminal elements are involved (AGD 2007). [76] AFACT has reported that links between organised crime and film piracy were first uncovered following a raid on Malaysia-linked pirates in Sydney in 2002. The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) referred to several cases involving pirates who were involved in other criminal activity such as prostitution and drugs possession. Status Investigations and Security Pty Ltd referred to a matter that indicated organised links between copyright offences and importation of prohibited weapons. Trademark Investigation Services (TMIS) argued that 'Recent Police cases suggest such links'. They pointed out that 'To examine high quality goods and packaging it is obvious that a single person could not set up the productions, packaging, export, import, wholesale, etc. alone. There is a network or chain where each party along the way is a part of the ongoing conspiracy to manufacture, package and sell the goods for profits they could not otherwise make from those goods if they were plain, unbranded goods.' [77]
The most common form of cyberwarfare perpetrated by online criminal organisations is the Denial-of-service attack. Hacking, denial of service, access to and leaking of government (e.g. military) documentation have all been highlighted as key concerns for Australia. [78] [79] [80] [81]
Criminal organisations may generate significant income through the manufacture and trafficking of illicit drugs and their precursor chemicals. Increased involvement has resulted in larger and more sophisticated clandestine laboratories being detected in Australia. In 2008–09, a record 449 clandestine laboratories were detected in Australia (a 26 per cent increase from 2007–08). 67.7 per cent of clandestine laboratories continue to be detected in residential locations. Over two tonnes of precursor chemicals for the production of meth/amphetamines were detected at the Australian border in 2008–09, nearly double the weight detected in 2007–08. In 2008–09, clandestine laboratory detections increased across most jurisdictions, the largest occurring in Western Australia, which increased from 30 laboratories in 2007–08 to 78 in 2008–09, an increase of 160 per cent. [82] [83] In the context of the Australian Illicit Drug Report, a clandestine laboratory is any concealed place where chemicals are used to produce illicit drugs. [84] Such laboratories range from crude, makeshift operations using simple processes to highly sophisticated operations using technically advanced facilities. They can be located virtually anywhere—in private residences, motel and hotel rooms, apartments, horse trailers, houseboats, boats, vehicles, buses, trucks, campgrounds and commercial establishments—and are usually very portable. Some clandestine laboratories use very simple processes such as extracting cannabis oil from plants using solvents; others use complex processes involving a number of chemicals and a range of equipment to manufacture drugs such as methylamphetamine and ecstasy. Clan labs are usually discovered after they have exploded.
Mainly clan labs manufacture methylamphetamine but other drugs produced in Australia and reported on in connection with clandestine laboratories are ecstasy, methcathinone, cannabis oil, 'crack' cocaine, pethidine and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB, or fantasy). Because of the increase in the number of clandestine laboratories detected in Australia, it was determined that there was a need for better exchange of information between the various jurisdictions. As a result, in August 1997 the first Chemical Diversion Conference was held at the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence; among other things, a categorisation of the various types of clandestine laboratories was developed. Initially there were three categories but a fourth has since been added. The categories are as follows:
Clan lab activity may include but are not limited to strong unusual odours, traffic at extremely late hours, covered windows and reinforced doors, exhaust fans and pipes on windows, high security measures such as bars on windows and an accumulation of chemical containers and waste. On 13 April 2011 the Minister for Home Affairs and Justice launched the Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines. These Guidelines provide a framework for regulatory authorities and environmental specialists to investigate and remediate sites that may have been contaminated due to being used as clandestine drug laboratories. [85] Clan labs produce substances that are toxic, corrosive, explosive and carcinogenic. They can pose a significant threat to the health and safety of officers, the general public and the environment and hazards include:
The Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan's son was involved in a clan lab explosion in March were a total of 5 people were injured. On 2 June a Gosnells house explodes, resulting in one man in hospital with severe burns. In 2010, 133 clan labs were dismantled. Of the clan labs discovered in 2010, 26 were in the cities of Armadale and Gosnells and the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale. In Western Australia, Gosnells has proved to be the hotspot for drug manufacture, with six clan labs uncovered by police. Five labs were shut down in Armadale. Almost all drug labs were found to manufacture methylamphetamine. The suburbs of Kelmscott, Huntingdale, Bedfordale and Southern River harboured two clan labs each until these were uncovered and shut down by officers. Clan labs have also been detected in Camillo, Maddington, Thornlie, Mundijong, Byford, Brookdale and Karrakup.
Organised crime groups, including outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in the cultivation and distribution of cannabis within Australia. According to the Australian Crime Commission, there has been a noticeable increase in the involvement of Vietnamese crime groups in recent years." [90]
Sex trafficking involves Asian syndicates and European syndicates. It places burdens on the Australian health system.
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Australia's approach to criminalising money laundering differs from that of many other countries. Division 400 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) (the Criminal Code) contains the principal criminal offences of money laundering in Australia. Division 400 was inserted into the Criminal Code by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth) in January 2003. There are currently[ when? ] 19 different offences of money laundering available under the Criminal Code, and these can be classified into two types: those linked to the proceeds of crime (funds generated by an illegal activity) and those linked to the instruments of crime (funds used to conduct an illegal activity). Possessing the proceeds or instruments of crime is a single offence under the Criminal Code. Persons receiving, possessing, concealing, importing into Australia, exporting from Australia, or disposing of the proceeds of crime may be guilty of this offence. Possessing the proceeds of crime attracts a maximum custodial sentence of two years.[ citation needed ]
The remaining 18 offences of money laundering are those of dealing with the proceeds or instruments of crime. 'Dealing with' the proceeds of crime includes all the actions considered as possession of the proceeds of crime as well as engaging in banking transactions using the illicit funds. These 18 offences are distinguished by the value of the property involved and the intent of the offender. The punishments' severity increases with the value and with the offender's knowledge of the source of the funds. The Criminal Code classifies offences according to the value of the funds involved into bands of $1,000,000 or more; $100,000 to $999,999; $50,000 to $99,999; $10,000 to $49,999; $1,000 to $9,999; and funds of any value.[ citation needed ]
Section 24A states that: (1) A person who has possession of: (a) a precursor, or (b) a drug manufacture apparatus, intended by the person for use in the manufacture or production, by that person or another person, of a prohibited drug is guilty of an offence. A common example of this offence includes being in possession of the chemicals and ingredients required to manufacture a drug.
Offences including possession of precursors and certain apparatus for manufacture or production of prohibited drugs fall under Part 2, Division 2 of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW). This means that these offences are considered indictable offences, and are heard in the District or Supreme Court. Defences to this offence include but are not limited to duress and necessity. Also, those licensed or authorised under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 or somebody given authority by the Director General of the Department of Health are exempt from liability. Section 35A of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW) outlines a further defence: it is legal to possess or manufacture a prohibited substance if the substance is contained in a product where the substance cannot be readily extracted, or in a product not for human consumption, or if the substance is possessed for the purpose of its disposal as waste or its destruction. The maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of $220,000, 10 years imprisonment or both.
Criminal Organisations Control Act 2012 (Vic)
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the 'Palermo Convention') including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children and Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air - 2000 (UN)
Organized Crime Control Act - 1970 (US)
Title 21 of the United States Code - 1970 (US) Ch. 12 Sub. 1 and 2, particularly § 848. Continuing criminal enterprise See Continuing Criminal Enterprise
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (the 'RICO Act') - 1970 (US)
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - (UK)
Criminal Code (Canada), RSC 1985, c C-46.
The topic has been widely covered in books and the news media and has also been the subject of several major Australian films and TV drama series including the ABC-TV series Phoenix , Janus and Blue Murder and, more recently, the popular Nine Network miniseries Underbelly .
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. The AFP is an independent agency of the Attorney-General's Department and is responsible to the Attorney-General and accountable to the Parliament of Australia. As of October 2019 the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police is Reece Kershaw, formerly the Northern Territory Police Commissioner.
The New South Wales Crime Commission is a statutory corporation of the Government of New South Wales. It is constituted by the Crime Commission Act 2012, the object of which is to reduce the incidence of organised crime and other serious crime in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Prostitution in Australia is governed by state and territory laws, which vary considerably, although none ban the selling of sex itself.
Murray Stewart Riley was an Australian Olympic rowing athlete, who, after leaving a career as a police officer, gained notoriety as a criminal. Riley represented Australia at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics in double scull rowing, winning a bronze medal in 1956. He served as a police officer in Sydney from 1943 until 1962, when he resigned after disciplinary charges were leveled against him. After his resignation from the police, Riley embarked on a criminal career that included convictions for drug trafficking and fraud. He was implicated in the Nugan Hand Bank scandal and associated with leading figures in the American Mafia, including Jimmy Fratianno of the Los Angeles crime family and corrupt Teamsters official Michael Rudy Tham. He died in 2020 at the age of 94.
The Comanchero Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle gang in Australia and South East Asia. The Comancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which convened a conference in 2009 to address legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, their poor public image in the wake of several violent clashes and ongoing biker wars, and defusing deadly feuds such as the Comancheros' battles with the Hells Angels. The sincerity of these efforts to defend the battered image of the clubs has been met with skepticism.
The history of gangs in Australia goes back to the colonial era. Criminal gangs flourished in The Rocks district of Sydney in its early history in the 19th century. The Rocks Push was a notorious larrikin gang which dominated the area from the 1800s to the end of the 1900s. The gang was engaged in running warfare with other larrikin gangs of the time such as the Straw Hat Push, the Glebe Push, the Argyle Cut Push, the Forty Thieves from Surry Hills, and the Gibb Street Mob.
Human trafficking in Australia is illegal under Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code (Cth). In September 2005, Australia ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supplemented the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Amendments to the Criminal Code were made in 2005 to implement the Protocol.
John Houssam Ibrahim is a former Kings Cross nightclub owner in Australia. Police allege Ibrahim is a "major organised-crime figure" and was labelled as the "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" during the 1995 Wood royal commission. However, Ibrahim strongly denies this, and has not been convicted of any related crime.
The Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club (GJMC) is a "one-percenter" motorcycle club that was originally formed in San Bernardino, California on April Fool's Day, 1956. Though founded in the United States, the MC expanded successfully overseas and gained significant notoriety in Australia, the United States, and Norway.
The Rebels Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club. At its peak in Australia, it had around 70 chapters and over 1,000 members and associates nationwide, making it the largest club in the country at the time. It was founded by Clint Jacks in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1969 and was originally named the "Confederates". Their insignia is a Confederate flag with a cap-wearing skull and 1% patch in the centre. The Australian government and law enforcement consider the Rebels to be a criminal organisation, but the club claims to be a group of motorcycle enthusiasts rather than gangsters.
Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013 was an act of the Parliament of Queensland, enacted to "severely punish members of criminal organisations that commit serious offences". The act aimed to "come down harshly on outlaw motorcycle gangs and their members" and was one of three passed in the same session on 16 October 2013, going into effect immediately. The associated acts enacted on the same date were the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 and the Tattoo Parlours Act 2013.
Lebanese mafia is a colloquial term for organised crime groups which originate from Lebanon. Lebanese organised crime is active in the country of Lebanon itself, as well as in countries and areas with a large Lebanese community, most notably Australia, Germany and Canada, and also in the Triple Frontier in South America. Lebanese organised crime syndicates generally are active globally, largely due to the mass Lebanese population. For the past decades the Lebanese crime families had controlled 7,8% of Germany's underworld activities.
Criminal activity in New South Wales, Australia is combated by the New South Wales Police Force and the New South Wales court system, while statistics about crime are managed by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Modern Australian states and cities, including New South Wales, have some of the lowest crime rates recorded globally with Australia ranked the 13th safest nation and Sydney ranked the 5th safest city globally. As of September 2018 the City of Penrith (475.7) and City of Blacktown (495.1). Rural areas have comparatively high crime rates per 100,000 with rural shires such as Walgett Shire (1350.3) and Moree Plains Shire (1236.2) having some of the highest violent crime rates in the state. The overall NSW crime rate has been in steady decline for many years.
Criminal activity in Victoria, Australia is combated by the Victoria Police and the Victorian court system, while statistics about crime are managed by the Crime Statistics Agency. Modern Australian states and cities, including Victoria, have some of the lowest crime rates recorded globally with Australia ranked the 13th safest nation and Melbourne ranked the 5th safest city globally. As of September 2018 the CBD of Melbourne had the highest rate of overall criminal incidents in the state (15,949.9), followed by Latrobe (12,896.1) and Yarra (11,119.2). Rural areas have comparatively high crime rates, with towns such as Mildura (9,222.0) and Greater Shepparton (9,111.8) having some of the highest crime rates in the state.
Notorious is a former gang that was based in Sydney, Australia. They claimed to be an outlaw motorcycle club; however, not all members ride motorcycles. A large percentage of its membership consisted of petty criminals, with no real history of bikers among their ranks. Its emblem features a skull with a turban brandishing twin pistols and the words "Original Gangster" beneath it, along with the motto "Only the dead see the end of war". Labeled as one of Australia's most dangerous gangs, they had been feuding with larger and well-known motorcycle gangs including the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. It was thought that as of March 2012 the gang no longer existed as an organised structure after being dismantled by a police operation arresting key members and with other members choosing to quit the gang life. This served to reinforce claims by established MCs that Notorious wasn't a genuine club.
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is classified as a motorcycle gang by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in numerous countries. While the club has denied being a criminal organization, Bandidos members have been convicted of partaking in criminal enterprises including theft, extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and murder in various host nations.
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), an international outlaw biker gang, has been involved in multiple crimes, alleged crimes, and violent incidents in Australia. The Hells Angels are legally classified as a criminal organisation in the Australian state of Queensland, and there have been attempts to classify them as such in New South Wales. The Hells Angels have been linked with drug trafficking and production, as well as a host of violent crimes including murder, in Australia.
The Black Uhlans Motorcycle Club are an Australian "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. Maintaining several chapters throughout the country, the club has been described by law enforcement as one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in the state of Victoria and are said to be among the wealthiest, if not, wealthiest of Australia's outlaw bikie groups.
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