(CAN) Ex-Hells Angels member denies making death threats

October 15, 2014, 5:00 pm

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esse Leigh Bitz admits he threatened to knock his ex-boss’s teeth into the back of his throat, but denies threatening to kill him.

Bitz was a full-patch member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club when he was fired — or was laid off or quit, depending whose story you believe — from Xtreme Mining and Demolition in December 2012.

He is no longer a member of the Hells Angels, he told a Saskatoon judge on Tuesday.

Xtreme Mining’s owner, Leonard Banga, testified Bitz threatened to kill him on three occasions — the day he fired Bitz, a week later when they got into a fight on the side of the highway, and then six months later when they ran into each other at the Cabela’s outlet in Saskatoon.

Bitz is on trial in Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench charged with uttering death threats against Banga and Banga’s family. He pleaded not guilty.

Banga said he phoned Bitz on Dec. 23, 2012, after getting a report that Bitz had been caught sleeping on the job by an employee at the Agrium Vanscoy potash mine and then threatened the employee.

Banga said he told Bitz, “If you get caught sleeping at work and you threaten somebody, you’re fired.”

Bitz replied, “‘Nobody fires a f----n Hells Angel’ ... He said if I try to fire him, he’s going to f---n kill me,” Banga told court.

Banga’s wife Michelle also testified on Tuesday. She said she was sitting next to Banga during the phone conversation and could clearly hear Bitz yelling, “You can’t fire a Hells Angel, you’re f----n dead.”

Testifying in his own defence, Bitz said he remembered the conversation differently. He denied saying he’d kill Banga.

“I told him I’d smash his face in,” Bitz testified.

Banga said he contacted a senior Hells Angels member who told him not to worry and advised him to “schmooze” things over with Bitz. On Dec. 31, 2012, Banga and Bitz met south of Saskatoon, but that conversation didn’t go well, ending in a fight on the side of road. Banga said Bitz threw the first punch and the fight ended when he wrestled Bitz to the ground.

The two men didn’t have any more contact until they ran into each other on June 24, 2013, at Cabela’s. Banga said Bitz started yelling at him, saying he’d never forget what happened on the side of the highway.

“The only reason you’re still alive is because you have Hells Angels working for you,” Banga said Bitz told him. “Once you don’t have Hells Angels working for you, I’m going to kill you and your family.”

Banga’s wife was with him and testified Bitz said similar words that day.

Bitz testified that what he said was, “As soon as the last guy’s done working for you, I’m going to put your teeth in the back of your head.”

Banga didn’t report any of the incidents to police until after a witness at Cabela’s called police and officers went to Banga’s home. Banga said he had previously been assured by Hells Angels members that he was safe, but he didn’t believe them anymore after the incident at Cabela’s.

Both the Crown and defence closed their cases on Tuesday; closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The StarPhoenix has previously reported that when the confrontation at Cabela’s happened in June 2013, Banga was in the midst of drafting a new policy for his company.

On June 26, 2013, he called his 200 employees to a meeting and laid all of them off. They all had to reapply for their jobs and submit to a criminal record check, drug and alcohol testing, an external interview and a questionnaire that asked if they were connected to any organization that’s deemed a criminal organization in the U.S. or Canada.

Five men weren’t hired back. Three of them who lost their jobs because of their membership in the Hells Angels are suing the company, alleging wrongful dismissal.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Hells+Angels+member+denies+making+death+threats/10289819/story.html

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(ASIA) Biker gxxgs expand into Asia

October 15, 2014, 5:03 pm

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Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, including some from Canada, are making a big push in Asia and Australia as they seek a piece of the regions underworld drug and criminal empire.
These gangs, already notorious in Canada, the US and Europe are expanding in Asia and the Pacific to augment their power and global grasp on drug supply, in particular methamphetamines, amphetamines and drugs traditionally trafficked in South-East Asia said an intelligence analysis by Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, media in the Philippines reported.
Europol said the suspected main driver for outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) expansion was “the desire to increase their role in particular criminal markets by opening chapters in strategic locations, for instance along the trafficking routes for drugs, weapons and human beings”.
Europol said Rebels and Comanchero from Australia; the Rock Machine from Canada, as well as Mongols and Vagos from the US had arrived in Asia, Cebiu news reported.
The Rock Machine from Canada is ranked by police sources as second only to Hells Angels in Quebec. A long-running turf war with the Angels left more than 150 people dead as the two fought over the lucrative trade in illegal drugs in that province. The war also led to the passage of anti-gang legislation by the federal government.
As the Hells Angels expanded into Ontario, so did the Rock Machine. The organization established three chapters. In 2001, it aligned itself with the Bandidos.
The Bandidos is said to be world’s second-most powerful criminal biker gang, with more than 2,000 members in 14 countries, according to a criminal intelligence report, which describes the Bandidos as a “growing criminal threat.”
The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada describes the Hells Angels as the largest “outlaw motorcycle gang” in the country, with active chapters concentrated mostly in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
Media in Australia said the country already has already has more than 40 outlaw biker gangs, with the largest gangs – the Rebels, the Outlaws, the Hells Angels and the Mongols (formerly the Finks) – having chapters in most states and territories. Another group called The Vagos – also known as “Green Nation” and “Green Hell” are headed for Australia as part of an international expansion of outlaw biker gangs.
A third group called The Rebels, founded in Australia, is undertaking a massive expansion into Europe, North America, Asia and even into Fiji, said a report from newscom.au
Australia’s newly formed 71-member specialist federal anti-gang squad aimed at the growing biker menace in Australia said “at least one gang had an affiliate chapter in Thailand”, despite the fact drug dealing in that country risked the death penalty.
Thailand has chapters of both the Rebels and the Mongols.
The Mongols have already expanded into Malaysia and the Rebels are also in Cambodia and Laos, triggering police fears about drug supply routes to Asia’s golden triangle region.
The Outlaws, which began in the US, are well established here, and in the UK, Europe and Russia.
Australian Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the new anti-gang squad would access national intelligence files on known gang members from the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Taxation Office.
The squad will work with state police to control movement across state borders and enforce laws to prevent gangs smuggling in drugs and weapons and members of overseas outlaw chapters entering the country.
However news.com.au understands members from the Mongols gang mother chapter may have already visited Australia ahead of the recent merger with the Finks gang, which some news reports say realised “the Finks goal to go global, giving them respect and a voice on the international stage”.
Coupled with the growth of the existing major gangs, the Hells Angels, Bandidos, Outlaws and a club called Gremium, this has sparked fears of a turf war in Asian nations and Australia.
“Merely establishing a chapter on the ‘turf’ of another OMCG is interpreted as an act of provocation and is likely to result in violent confrontations and retaliation,” Europol said.

“In general, the use of intimidation and violence is intrinsic to the OMCG subculture and serves to exert control over group members and others such as victims of extortion.

“The main threat to public safety associated with OMCGs stems from their propensity to use extreme forms of violence.

“This includes the use of automatic rifles like Kalashnikovs, and explosive devices such as grenades, and the indiscriminate nature with which this violence is often used in open conflicts between rival groups.”

Western Australian Police Warn Motorcycle Gangs are Gaining Criminal Footholds in Bali and other Southeast Asian Destination
Meanhile, Kompas.com reports that illegal bike gangs from Perth, Western Australia are establishing footholds in overseas locations, including Bali, in order to commit transnational crime.

Warning that bike gangs involved in various illegal practice are now in operation in Bali is a senior police officer from Western Australia, Nick Anticich.

Anticich’s comments follow a report in the Australian press stating that members of the Coffin Cheaters Bike Gang of Perth, Western Australia, have now opened businesses in Bali. Members of the gang are reportedly seen in clubs and bars in Bali wearing the gang’s distinctive regalia.

Anticich is a law enforcement officer deeply familiar with crimal practice among motorcycle gang members. He claims that the Cheaters have established a club in Bali and that other gangs are aggressively extending their networks to other overseas locations by purchasing small clubs in foreign locales.

He said that intelligence accumulated by his office show that bike gangs have created a network across Southeast Asia, focusing on locations where amphetamines and chemicals needed for their manufacture are easily acquired. Anticich also contends that the bike gangs are involved in money laundering practices.

In Bali the Western Australian bike gangs who have reportedly established a foothold are the Coffin Cheaters, Bandidos and Rock Machine.

Anticich said that tough anti-narcotics enforcement in Bali is dissuading the gangs from involvement in the narcotics trade on the island. But he did not discount the possibility that the gangs are busy acquiring chemical ingredients for the manufacture of drugs. These chemical components of illegal drugs can be freely purchased in large quantities in many overseas locations.

Another police source in Western Australia described Bali as a “heaven” for international drug syndicates because of the limited technological means available to the island’s law enforcement agencies to detect illicit drugs entering the island.

Anticich said that although Indonesian ratified the UN Convention on the illegal trade in narcotics and psychotropic substances more than ten years ago, there is still no clear statement from Indonesia on which type of drugs are specifically outlawed.

L. Sastra Wijaya, a correspondent for Kompas based in Australia, described the Australian motorcycle gangs as usually riding large bikes – such as Harley Davidson’s, wearing specific identifying uniforms and gathering at bars operated under their control.

http://www.asianpacificpost.com/article/6497-biker-gangs-expand-asia.html

(NZ) Police gear up for Hells Angels

October 15, 2014, 5:04 pm

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Police are calling in reinforcements to manage crowds at major events in Nelson over the weekend, including the arrival of Hells Angels members from across the country.

The outlaw motorcycle gang's national run, known to attract more than 100 riders, will be held in Nelson from Friday night to Sunday.

The annual Masked Parade and More FM Carnivale are also on Friday, and the ITM Cup semi-final rugby game between Tasman and Canterbury is on Saturday night.

About 70 per cent of Nelson's police force as well as reinforcements from Canterbury, Marlborough and Wellington will be deployed to manage the events, Nelson Bays area commander Inspector Steve Greally said.

"This coming weekend is going be a big weekend for us, no doubt."

He said the police operations had to be "kept under wraps" and declined to comment on whether the Hells Angels event was a prospecting or initiation exercise.

"People can speculate as to what will or will not occur. End of the day, Hells Angels is an outlaw motorcycle gang that traditionally attracts police attention. This weekend will be absolutely no different," he said.

"Hells Angels can expect police presence for the very fact that they are here, but I'll stop short of disclosing our tactics. Suffice to say we will have enough staff.

"Generally speaking, they're out in numbers and so are we.

"The reason we're out in numbers is to stop trouble from commencing and it generally works very well."

At a similar motorcycle event in March, police issued more than 50 fines to riders for speed, careless driving, or riding on the wrong class of licence. Police have also been known to check members as they ride their motorcycles off the ferry in Picton.

Canterbury University sociologist Jarrod Gilbert posted on his blog in May that Nelson's Red Devils had become an official chapter of the Hells Angels, which was likely to boost the number of people wanting to join the gang.

Greally said the increased police presence was also to manage crowds at family-friendly events in the city, including the Masked Parade and the rugby.

"If the weather's good Nelson's going to have a great weekend and we're there to make sure it happens," he said.

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&gl=ca&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=hells+angels&oq=hells+angels&gs_l=news-cc.3..43j0j43i53.3690.4663.0.5288.12.5.0.5.5.1.166.544.2j3.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.7_sB6nWSRyk&gws_rd=ssl

(USA) Bikers have shootout on Rochester street

October 15, 2014, 5:06 pm

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ROCHESTER -- A large melee between rival biker gangs in the middle of a street escalated Tuesday night from fists to a shootout that left two people wounded and the neighborhood riddled with bullets.

Rochester Police Chief Frank Mercier said police were called to Brighton Avenue at 10:05 p.m. for a large fight with shots being fired.

Mercier said within the past few weeks two biker clubs, the Leathernecks and the Rebels, have started hanging out at two bars on Brighton Avenue. He said the members of the groups, most of them who are not from Beaver County, “don’t see eye to eye.”

A physical fight began involving more than 25 people, but it quickly turned more violent as knives, metal batons, a ball peen hammer and guns came out.

Two men were shot. One 38-year-old man from Beaver Falls was shot in the buttocks, leg and ankle, Mercier said. A second, unidentified man was shot, but had left the scene before police arrived. Mercier said bikers at the scene told police they would take care of the man’s wounds themselves.

Mercier said several cars parked on the road were shot, and there were bullet holes in the surrounding buildings.

With the exception of Tuesday night, Mercier said the two bars, the Double J and Uncle Chuck’s, are not problem bars.

Jeanine Foringer, owner of Double J, said there was a pool league at her bar Tuesday night, and there were no problems until members of another biker club showed up.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Foringer said. She couldn’t estimate how many gunshots she heard, but she said it was a lot. “I just kept hearing pow, pow, pow,” she said.

Foringer two daughters and her 5-day-old granddaughter were in an apartment above the bar. “She was scared out of her mind,” she said of her daughter.

Members of the biker groups were still hanging out in the area Wednesday afternoon.

Cory Robert Howard, 34, of 175 W. First Ave., Blairsville, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and disorderly conduct.

According to a police report, Howard first fired at the ground, and shrapnel hit the Beaver Falls man in the leg. Then Howard pointed the gun at the victim’s face and said, “Next one is going in you,” the report said. As the man began to run, Howard fired several more shots, two of which hit him, the report said.

Howard is in the Beaver County Jail after failing to post $100,000 bond, according to online court records.

Mercier said a number of “female biker associates” were also charged with disorderly conduct, and more charges are expected to be filed in connection with the confrontation.

http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/bikers-have-shootout-on-rochester-street/article_08903b92-edb9-5031-b39d-83d2c5d67d2c.html

(AUS) Driver who killed bikie avoids jail

October 15, 2014, 5:07 pm

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A driver convicted of causing the death of a former Rebels bikie and his pillion passenger when he drove into the path of their motorcycle has escaped an immediate jail term by the "barest of margins".

David Anthony Petts, 47, was convicted earlier this year of dangerous driving causing the deaths of Errol Munro and Lavain Beveridge on Boxing Day, 2012.

A jury found that Petts had failed to sufficiently check for oncoming traffic before he drove out of a driveway onto Neaves Road, Bullsbrook and into the path of Mr Munro’s black Harley Davidson.

Petts and friend Bruce Culverwell had been drinking and smoking cannabis while watching the Boxing Day Test cricket, before deciding to drive to the local shops to buy lemonade to mix with tequila.

Culverwell asked Petts to drive because he felt too intoxicated himself - and when the vehicle pulled out of a driveway onto Neaves Road moments later, it collided with the bike.

Petts also left the scene of the crash, and Culverwell, who was also in the car, initially told police he had been driving.

At his sentencing in Perth's District Court today, Judge Kevin Sleight said a "momentary lapse of concentration" had led to the double tragedy, which had left two families devastated.

He also said Petts' leaving the crash to return to his friends house to start drinking - which he explained as a reaction to his horror at the crash scene - was "reprehensible".

But he also said that Petts' culpability for the crash was at the lower end of the scale, after it was found that the bike being ridden by Mr Munro had been tampered with so the headlights were not working.

The judge said he found that at sunset, on a road with a speed limit of 110 kph, riding the bike without lights was a major contributor to the collision.

"Many drivers reading the circumstances of this crash may think 'There but for the grace of God go I'," Judge Sleight said.

Judge Sleight said by the "barest of margins" he had decided to sentence Petts to a term of 27 months jail, suspended for two years. He also disqualified him from driving for four years.

At an earlier hearing, Culverwell pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice, and was sentenced to an 18-month intensive supervision order to include counselling and a substance-abuse program.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/25264579/driver-who-killed-bikie-escapes-jail/

(CAN) Hells Angels’ strip club still stripped of liquor licence

October 16, 2014, 1:37 pm

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Supreme Court of Canada won’t get involved in complaint by London, Ont. strip club owner who’s upset he can’t sell booze because he’s a Hells Angel biker.

Patrons of a downtown London, Ont. strip club won’t be able to sip alcohol on site any time in the near future after a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Canada’s top court refused last week to hear an appeal by Robert Barletta, owner of Famous Flesh Gordon’s strip club on Dundas St.

Barletta argued he was unfairly stripped of his right to sell alcohol because of his membership in the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

His lawyer, Richard Posner, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Barletta, who helped found the London charter of the Hells Angels in 2003, has run the strip club since 2001.

He argued it was unfair to take away his liquor licence since he wasn’t engaged in any criminal activities or regulatory breaches at his club.

As Barletta fought to win back his liquor licence, he also had troubles on the streets, as his club was firebombed in 2012.

This month’s decision by the Supreme Court puts the power to decide who’s fit for a liquor licence back in the hands of the provincially run Liquor License Tribunal.

The province has argued that the Hells Angels are a criminal organization and that granting a liquor license to a member of a criminal group is incompatible with the goals of the Liquor License Act.

The decision by the Supreme Court upholds a decision last year by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

The case will now be determined by the Licence Appeal Tribunal.

No date has been set for that hearing.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/16/hells_angels_strip_club_still_stripped_of_liquor_licence.html

(CAN) Verdict reserved in threats trial of ex-Hells Angel

October 16, 2014, 1:39 pm

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A former Hells Angel charged with threatening to kill his ex-employer will learn the judge’s verdict in his case at the end of the month.

Jesse Leigh Bitz pleaded not guilty to three counts of uttering death threats. Closing arguments at his trial were heard Wednesday in Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench.

The case will ultimately come down to who Justice Neil Gabrielson believes is telling the truth, with a little twist about a question of law.

The testimony

Leonard Banga, owner of Xtreme Mining and Demolition, testified Bitz threatened to kill him after he fired Bitz in December 2012, and again when they ran into each other by chance at a Saskatoon store in June 2013.

Bitz testified in his own defence, admitting he got angry at Banga and threatened to smash his face in, but he denied any death threats.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko argued Bitz’s story didn’t make any sense and the judge should believe Banga. Bitz’s version of events was that he was let go because he was a stellar employee who had decided to take a $20,000 pay cut to work for Agrium — not because he was caught sleeping on the job and then threatened the employee who saw him, as Banga testified.

Bitz’s testimony about what he told Banga during an encounter at the Cabela’s outlet on June 24, 2013, also didn’t make sense, Claxton-Viczko argued. Both men testified that Bitz told Banga he was lucky he still had Hells Angels working for him, but then their stories diverged. Banga said Bitz told him that when the last Hells Angel was done working for Banga, Bitz would kill Banga and his family.

Bitz told court he said that when the last Hells Angel is done working for Banga, it would be time for the two men to fight.

However, the pair had already fought on Dec. 31, 2012, when Bitz punched Banga in the face and Banga wrestled Bitz to the ground on the side of a road south of Saskatoon, the prosecutor noted.

“So why would Mr. Bitz say to (Banga) at Cabela’s, ‘But for these Hells Angels working for you, I’d beat you up now, we’d have a fight now’? ... That doesn’t make any sense,” Claxton-Viczko said.

Defence lawyer Morris Bodnar argued Banga’s testimony was unreliable and Bitz should be believed. Banga testified he had 1,338 hours of audio recordings of his dealings with Hells Angels, but in the two audio files of conversations between Banga and Bitz played in court, there were no death threats, Bodnar noted.

“Not one of his recordings has a death threat on it. What a coincidence, not one,” Bodnar said.

The law

Bodnar also brought up a question of law. The indictment outlining the charges against Bitz specifically alleges Bitz “knowingly uttered a threat to Leonard Banga to cause death to Leonard Banga and his family.”

Bitz testified he threatened to smash Banga’s face in. If the judge believes Bitz, he could convict Bitz of uttering a threat to cause bodily harm, but that’s not what the Crown charged Bitz with, Bodnar argued.

“If the Crown has proven (Bitz) was going to cause bodily harm, it’s not in the charge, so you must acquit,” Bodnar said.

He said Bitz couldn’t be found guilty of a lesser offence, because uttering a threat to cause bodily harm and uttering a threat to cause death are the same offence in the Criminal Code of Canada.

Claxton-Viczko disagreed, taking the position that a threat to cause bodily harm is included in the offence of a threat to kill someone.

“You can’t cause death to somebody without causing them bodily harm,” she argued.

Gabrielson said he was willing to allow the Crown some time to provide case law on that point, and reserved his decision to Oct. 31.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Verdict+reserved+threats+trial+Hells+Angel/10293039/story.html

(CAN) Editorial: Hells Angels, other Canadian bikers, should go terrorize ISIS

October 16, 2014, 1:41 pm

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Islamic State terrorists, who claim not to be too worried that the combined air forces of the West plan to blast them to Kingdom Come, now face a new threat that they had better take seriously — pissed-off Dutch bikers.

Three members of the Dutch motorcycle gang No Surrender have travelled to northern Iraq to join Kurds who are fighting ISIS. Klaas Otto, the gang’s leader, told the Dutch state broadcaster that three of his members from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Breda were fighting near Mosul. Other reports said the bikers may be former members of the Netherland’s special forces.

Dutch prosecutors have said that the bikers will not face criminal charges for taking up arms in Iraq.

This leads to an obvious question: Why aren’t Canadian bikers, supposedly among the toughest in the world, joining the fight? While a fully armed CF-18 roaring in on your position is certainly nothing for terrorists to sneeze at, could you imagine the terror they’d feel if they saw dozens of Hells Angels rumbling toward them, heavily armed and with official approval to inflict any violence they felt was needed? The same goes for the Bandidos, Outlaws, Loners, Vagabonds, Red Devils or members of Satan’s Choice.

So come on, bikers, to heck with toy runs. Do what you do best; head to Iraq and show ISIS what real terror feels like.

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/16/editorial-hells-angels-other-canadian-bikers-should-go-terrorize-isis/

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(USA) Motorcycle club members on trial for racketeering, other charges

October 16, 2014, 1:45 pm

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Seven members of a Clinton Township-based motorcycle club are on trial in federal court in Detroit on allegations of conducting a criminal enterprise that federal prosecutors say included violent acts, drug-manufacturing and dealing, and gambling over many years.

The trial began Wednesday in U.S. District Court with opening statements by U.S. Assistant Attorney Eric Strauss, who promised the 18 jurors that they will enter “the world of outlaw bikers” of the Devil’s Diciples Motorcycle Club. The trial follows a nearly 10-year investigation primarily by the Macomb County FBI office.

“You’re going to hear about the good, the bad and the ugly of the biker world,” Strauss said, adding that the defendants “committed a series of crimes under the umbrella of a criminal enterprise,” aka racketeering.

The seven were among 41 people indicted in 2012. Other defendants are still awaiting trial and others have resolved their case on the promise to testify in the trial, which is expected to last at least three months in front of Judge Robert Cleland, Strauss said.

Currently on trial are national club president Jeff Garvin “Fat Dog” Smith, 59, of Mount Clemens; Paul “Pauli” Darrah, 49, of Macomb Township; Cary “Gun Control” Vandiver, 54, of Mount Clemens; Vincent “Holiday” Witort of California; Patrick Michael “Magoo” McKeoun; Scott “Scotty Z” Sutherland; and David Randy “D” Drozdowski. The defendants are all in custody.

The club has been conducting the enterprise since the early 1990s through the mid-2000s, according to officials. The club has chapters in Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, Strauss said. Besides the township, Michigan chapters were located in Port Huron, Utica, Grand Rapids and for a short time Detroit’s west side.

Darrah commonly carried out the wishes of Smith, Strauss said.

Witort was allegedly involved in the baseball beating of four Devil’s Diciples members in the Arizona chapter whom Strauss said were left to die in the Box Canyon, near Florence, Ariz. The men were beaten in retaliation for raping, beating and torturing a wife or girlfriend of a member of Hell’s Angels, a friend of the Diciples, he said. The beating was done to “avert an all-out war with the Hell’s Angels,” Strauss said.

Strauss said jurors will hear about territorial “wars” among motorcycle gangs that were “friends” or “foes” of the Diciples, particularily when the Diciples tried to expand into the west side of Detroit.

Smith shot a member in Mount Clemens and in another incident beat the girlfriend of a member in the clubhouse, and Drozdowski beat a man who was wearing the “colors” of a rival motorcycle club at a bar, all to further the enterprise, Strauss said.

McKeoun was the “in-house meth cook,” he said.

All the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering as well as conspiracy to commit racketeering by making or selling drugs, methamphetamine and Vicodin. Smith, Darrah and Vandiver are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering by operating video slot and video poker machines in the national headquarters clubhouse, located on Gratiot Avenue, south of Hall Road, just north of Mount Clemens. The blue-colored structure was referred to by club members as the Detroit or Mount Clemens clubhouse.

Smith, Darrah and Vandiver are also charged with obstruction of justice via witness tampering, influencing a witness to commit perjury in a trial several years ago against another club member, and assault with intent to commit assault in aid of racketeering.

Strauss said club members called themselves “the 1 percenters,” not a reference to their income level but a description of their exclusion from society’s laws. Their slogan, “Forever, Together, Whatever,” is code for, “F--- the World,” he said.

Members were keenly aware of law enforcement’s interest in them. They had an “obsession with snitches,” Strauss said. An 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper found in their clubhouse said in big letters, “The Feds are trying to Jam us up. Be sharp!” Law enforcement manuels were found in searches of the clubhouse or members’ property, he said.

In response to the accusations, the defendants’ attorneys in their opening statements accused federal officials of disparaging the club and its activities in attempting to collectively stereotype them as ‘bad guys.”

“The case is premised on ‘guilt by association,’” said Vandiver’s attorney, Mark Satawa. “He is a bad guy, they are bad guys, so you better convict them regardless of the proofs, regardless of the evidence.

“Ten years and all that time and those resources, what the evidence will show is a runway case against a group, not individuals.”

“This is not a cohesive organized group; this is not a criminal enterprise,” said attorney Ryan Machasic, representing Drozdowski. “Being a member of a motorcycle club is not a crime.”

Attorneys pointed out the club is being tried under the same law -- the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) -- that mafia families have been prosecuted under. Patricia Maceroni, Darrah’s attorney, said the Devil’s Diciples cannot be compared to the racketeers in the “Godfather” movies.

“This is nothing close to the Corleone family,” she said.

The attorneys noted club members often went on “runs,” long, group motorcycle trips, some of which were staged to raise money for charity. Most of the defendants had full-time jobs and families. Two attorneys compared membership to being a member of a “country club” for golfers.

Kimberly Stout, Witort’s attorney, said the group had a common passion for “American-made motorcycles.” Owning a Harley Davidson motorcycle, built in Wisconsin, was a club requirement.

The defense attorneys said, and Strauss conceded, that much of the case is built on the testimony of former club members who were paid or received leniency in their own criminal cases; or a family member received a benefit. Their credibility should be highly questioned, the attorneys told jurors.

Some of the informants are former members who have “an axe to grind,” one attorney said.

Some informants were paid “tens of thousands of dollars,” Maceroni said. One Devil’s Diciples member had $200 in delinquent dues payments paid by the government, she said.

The witnesses were referred to as “snitches,” although Machasic said, “snitch is probably too good of a name for these witnesses.”

Strauss acknowledged that jurors “may not like a lot the witnesses.”

Maceroni said Darrah’s serious health problems (he had a tracheostomy) prevented him from working full-time so he was a “stay-at-home dad” who took care of his son. He also handled many of the day-to-day functions of the club, such as dues collection and spreading news, because of his availability,

The FBI wiretapped Darrah’s telephone for eight months in 2008 during which investigators listened to 11,826 calls, 90 percent of which had nothing to do with he club, Maceroni said. Jurors will listen to 250 of those calls, during which there is “salty language” and incidents of anger about issues, she said, but added, “There is no evidence of an ongoing RICO conspiracy.”

“Paul Darrah is no saint, but he’s not a RICO monster, either,” she said.

The seven defendants sat on a bench against a wall alongside the L-shaped defense-attorney table. Some of the men wore ties; others wore a polo or button-up shirt.

They were led in and out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

In a moment of levity with a purpose, Stout noted the men being “middle-aged or older.”

“Do they look like mafia? They are out-of-shape,” she said, drawing a few chuckles in the courtroom.

Following opening statements, Cleland denied a request by defense attorneys to adjourn the trial for two weeks because they received more than 1,000 additional pages of potential evidentiary material, on top of thousands already received, in the past few days.

An assistant U.S. attorney opposed the delay, noting “ serious, ongoing issues, problems” with scheduling witnesses in part due to threats against them.

http://www.macombdaily.com/general-news/20141015/motorcycle-club-members-on-trial-for-racketeering-other-charges

(USA) DOJ, ATF Lost Court Battle Against Whistleblower Jay Dobyns, So They're Making His Life Hell By Appealing

October 28, 2014, 1:00 pm

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Last month whistleblower and retired ATF Agent Jay Dobyns won a long court battle against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms after the agency retaliated against him for warning about corruption in management and failed to address death threats against his family. Some background on the case:

Dobyns, who infiltrated the dangerous and deadly Hells Angels gang as an undercover agent years ago, brought a lawsuit against the Bureau after supervisors ignored death threats to his family, which included plans to murder him either with a bullet or by injecting him with the AIDS virus, kidnapping and torturing his then 15-year-old daughter and kidnapping his wife in order to videotape a gang rape of her. Contracts were solicited between the Hells Angels, the Aryan Brotherhood and the MS-13 gang to carry out these threats, which were laid out in prison letters and confirmed through FBI and ATF interviews of confidential informants inside numerous detention centers. In 2008, his Tucson home was burned to the ground. When the fire was started, his wife and children were inside. Luckily, they escaped. Instead of investigating, ATF supervisors accused Dobyns of being the arsonist.

In his opinion, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Francis Allegra described ATF officials as demonstrating misfeasance in the case "rooted in the sorry failure of some ATF officials." Dobyns was awarded $173,000, an insufficient amount considering his family has been nearly bankrupted as a result of ATF's behavior, not to mention the emotional stress incurred throughout the process.

Now unsatisfied with a loss in court and berating by a federal judge, ATF and the Department of Justice are appealing the ruling.

"The battle continues. DOJ and ATF appealed the judge's decision on my lawsuit. It will now be heard before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. When? Not sure. How long? Maybe years," Dobyns wrote on CleanupATF.org last week, "I will never give in and I am excited to now have a panel of judges examine what ATF and DOJ have done. ATF and DOJ want more scrutiny on their conduct? Let's go. I wrongly believed that they would not want any more exposure on what dirty and corrupt organizations they are running but it appears that they have not yet felt enough pain. They will. I promise."

Dobyns has been represented by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund throughout this process. His attorney James Reed told the Arizona Republic the move to appeal by ATF is strange considering how insufficient the damages being paid by the Bureau amount to.

"It really doesn't seem like a good use for the taxpayers' money, but one of the problems with the Department of Justice is the amount of accountability there is for decision making," Reed said.

The decision to appeal no doubt is the continuation of retaliation from the Bureau against Dobyns, proving that nothing has changed since Acting ATF Director B. Todd Jones promised to cleanup the agency.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/10/28/doj-atf-lost-case-against-whistleblower-jay-dobyns-so-theyre-making-his-life-hell-by-appealing-n1910550

(CAN) Ex-biker boss suing government

October 28, 2014, 1:02 pm

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ERNIE Dew admits he's done some pretty dumb things in his life.

But the former president of the Manitoba Hells Angels says selling drugs out of his own home is not one of them.

That is why Dew is now fighting the federal government in court, claiming they stole his house by illegally seizing and selling it under proceeds-of-crime legislation.

Dew, 55, kicked off an unusual civil court hearing Monday by taking the witness stand and denying any criminal acts took place under his roof -- at least under his watch.

"That would be the last place I'd do a drug deal," Dew said while being cross-examined by a federal Crown attorney.

Dew was convicted of cocaine trafficking and possession of goods obtained by crime stemming from a 2006 arrest. He was given two more years of custody in 2012, in addition to time already served. However, Dew was acquitted of another drug-related offence that specifically involved his home at 189 Cessna Way in St. Andrews.

Dew claims the federal government committed "misfeasance of public office" in his lawsuit and are guilty of "conversion, trespass to chattels, unjust enrichment, misfeasance of public office and negligence."

On Monday, the Crown tried to argue Dew would often discuss drug-dealing activities inside his home with fellow bikers.

"We had many conversations, but not about drugs in my house," said Dew. He claims to have been aware of the proceeds-of-crime legislation and was extra-careful to avoid linking any criminal acts to the residence for that reason.

Dew never denied getting involved in several illegal transactions, but offered a unique explanation for his actions at trial. He claimed he only agreed to sell drugs to his friend, Franco Atanasovic, because the man said he was deep in debt and desperate for money to pay back several people who were after him.

Atanasovic was working at the time as a police agent and helped capture the deals on audio and video.
Dew insists he never made a cent from the transactions and was simply acting as a middleman between Atanasovic and the drug supplier -- and a peacemaker between those looking to collect from Atanasovic.

Dew said Atanasovic was in trouble and began pestering him at work, eventually convincing him to set up three separate drug deals. The deals were done at Dew's workplace, while a fourth one allegedly happened at his home just north of Winnipeg.

Dew always insisted he had nothing to do with that one, which he was ultimately found not guilty of and which is now the subject of his lawsuit.
Dew's civil trial is set to last two weeks.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/ex-biker-boss-suing-government-280613922.html

(NOR) Swedish Politican Was Chief of Notorious Biker Gxxg

October 28, 2014, 1:03 pm

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A Swedish politician has revealed to be the former chief of a biker gang, with convictions for drugs trafficking and weapons offenses.

Mikael Persson, who is a senior Sweden Democrat member in the Svenljunga municipality in western Sweden, was previously a member of the Boras chapter of the Bandidos, where he was known as The President.

He has spent years behind bars, with a total of 11 criminal convictions.

"On paper I look like a horrible person," the 42-year-old told Borås Tidning Daily.

After being nominated by the party, he claimed his place last week on the nine-person municipal executive committee, with the municipal council confirming the board members.

In 2002, he was sentenced to four and a half years in jail over serious drugs offenses. Attempted aggravated drugs trafficking, and weapons offences.

In 2010, he was sentenced to two years in jail for drugs offenses.

Persson claims to have seen the error of his ways whilst in jail, and to have renounced his criminal past.

"It was a turning point in my life, I felt falsely convicted," he told the paper.

'No regrets' over gang membership

He said there were two people who were behind the 2010 crime, but he was the one who took the flack.

"It was the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.

He did not regret his time as a biker, and that "some" of the Sweden Democrat's national organisation were aware of his background.

Persson said that he had worked hard for the party since committing to politics, and that he had not been found guilty of any offenses automatically disqualifying him from holding office.

"I have helped to recruit members here, fought like a fool throughout the election campaign. According to the party members must not be convicted of any violent crime, racist crime, but I'm not," he said.

However, a fellow executive committee member said that she was unaware of her colleague's background.

"It's really damning. This I did not know at all," she said to the newspaper.

The Bandidos, one of the world's most notorious motorcycles gangs, were involved in the Great Nordic Biker War in the '90s, in which members battled rival Hells Angels using machine guns and bombs. Eleven people died during the three years the gang war lasted.

Last year, Europol warned that membership of criminal motorcycle gangs was on the rise throughout Europe, and a new turf war over drugs supply routes is likely.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/swedish-politican-was-chief-notorious-biker-gang-1471827

(AUS) Police raid Gladiators' Maitland clubhouse

October 28, 2014, 1:07 pm

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POLICE have arrested at least three men in a series of raids across the Hunter, including at a Maitland bikie clubhouse.

Officers are searching five properties at Largs Rutherford, Dungog, East Maitland and Port Stephens as part of an investigation that began in 2013.

The State Crime Command's Gangs Squad formed Strike Force Meaney in 2013 to investigate a Hunter syndicate believed to be involved in the manufacture and supply of amphetamine.

"To date, three men have been arrested and are currently assisting police with their inquiries," police said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

"The operation remains ongoing. No further information can be provided at this time."

Police will allege their search at a Bobs Farm property revealed a kilogram of base amphetamine, two ounces of methamphetamine, two shortened pump-action shotguns, $20,000 in cash and a number of items believed to be used in manufacturing drugs.

At Largs investigators located and seized 360 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine, an unlicensed pistol, $17,000 in cash and a truck trailer police believe to be stolen.

In Rutherford police seized small amounts of ice and cannabis while at Dungog they found a replica pistol and ammunition.


At the Gladiators' Maitland clubhouse, police seized "a number of items relevant to their investigation.

Roughly 10 police took registration details of vehicles outside the clubhouse on Tuesday morning as a group of bikies watched from deckchairs nearby.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2655218/three-arrested-in-gladiators-raids-photos/

(AUS) Bikie Hewat's case adjourned

October 29, 2014, 4:24 am

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A senior Hells Angels bikie will be back before a Melbourne court next month over a large number of driving offences.

Peter 'Skitzo' Hewat, 59, was arrested in October after police pulled over a car in which he was a passenger and found a baseball bat and erectile dysfunction medication he did not appear to have a prescription for, a court has previously heard.

He faced 49 charges, including possessing poison and 44 counts of driving with a suspended licence, but the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday heard his defence lawyers had spoken with police and some of the matters had been resolved.

Hewat's matters will come back before a court on November 26.

The Mickleham man did not apply for bail on Wednesday.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/local/melbourne/2014/10/29/vic-bikie-hewat-s-case-adjourned.html#sthash.bVVgwXZl.dpuf

(USA) Police raid Hells Angels building in El Cajon

November 4, 2014, 12:47 pm

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EL CAJON - Authorities raided a Hells Angels building in El Cajon Tuesday morning.

One person was taken into custody after just before 7 a.m. at the Hells Angels Dago Clubhouse at 421 El Cajon Blvd. Several agencies took part in serving the search warrant, including El Cajon police, San Diego County and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies.

Investigators declined to provide any information on the nature of the case or the person who was detained.

The Drug Enforcement Administration raided the same building in 2011, seizing computers, baseball bats and clothing. That prompted the building’s owner, Maurice Eunice, to file a lawsuit against the federal government. He claimed the DEA used excessive force during that incident.

The lawsuit was dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge in October.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.10news.com/news/police-raid-hells-angels-building-in-el-cajon

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(USA) DVD REVIEW: "THE GLORY STOMPERS" ...

November 4, 2014, 12:50 pm

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Probably no genre illustrates the rapid advance of cinematic screen freedoms than the biker movie. The genre debuted in 1953 with Marlon Brando in "The Wild One". The film, which chronicled the virtual takeover of a small California town by a wild motorcycle gang, was considered extremely controversial at the time. The biker film remained largely dormant until the release of Roger Corman's "The Wild Angels" in 1966, which became a surprising boxoffice and media sensation. Only a year or two before, teenage audiences were being fed a steady diet of white bread rock 'n roll films that bore little resemblance to real life. Suddenly, the biker film blatantly presented raging hormones, gang wars, drug use and group sex without apology. Young people patronized these films in droves. With social constraints falling by the minute, the biker films- cheaply made as they were- spoke to the emerging generation that would be defined by hippies, drop-outs and protesters. Suddenly, Elvis movies seemed like entertainment for their parents and grandparents. With the success of "The Wild Angels", imitators galore sprang onto drive-in movie screens across America. The biker films were like any other genre in that some of the entries were poorly done efforts designed to reap a few fast bucks at the box-office, while others had a certain crude efficiency about them. Such a film was "The Glory Stompers", one of the better entries in the biker movie genre. Made in 1967, the film was released by (surprise!) American International, which reaped king's ransoms by producing low-budget exploitation movies. Make no mistake, "The Glory Stompers" is indeed an exploitation movie with little redeeming value beyond it's interesting cast. Dennis Hopper, in full psycho mode, top-lines as Chino, the leader of a brutal biker gang known as The Black Souls. After being dissed by members of the rival Glory Stompers gang, Chino and his posse track down a Glory Stomper, Darryl (Jody McCrea) who is with his gorgeous blonde girlfriend Chris (Chris Noel). Chris is badgering Darryl to leave the biker lifestyle and do something meaningful with his life. They are interrupted by the arrival of the Black Souls, who beat Darryl mercilessly. Believing him to be dead, Chino orders the gang to kidnap Chris to prevent her from filing murder charges against them. Chino advises the group that they will transport her by bike several hundred miles into Mexico, where he has arranged to sell her into white slavery. Unbeknownst to them, however, Darryl recovers from his wounds and immediately sets out to rescue Chris. Along the way he meets a former fellow Glory Stomper, Smiley (former Tarzan star Jock Mahoney), who agrees to join the rescue effort. The eventually pick up one other ally and his girlfriend and head into Mexico in hot pursuit of the Black Souls.

The film features a good deal of padding with extended shots of the bikers cruising down highways or navigating over sandy desert roads. There's also a good deal of footage devoted to sexploitaiton, with topless biker women riding rampant through drug-fueled orgies and the requisite cat right between jealous biker "mamas". This was pretty shocking stuff back in the day and gives the movie a relatively contemporary feel (even though today's Hell's Angels are primarily known for organizing charity fund raisers.) The cast is rather interesting and it's apparent that Hopper's presence in films like this clearly gave him street cred when he decided to make "Easy Rider". Chris Noel is quite stunning as the kidnap victim who must use psychology to avoid frequent attempts by her captors to rape her. She's also a good actress who brings a degree of dignity to the otherwise sordid on-goings. Jock Mahoney is the grizzled biker veteran who puts loyalty above his personal safety and it's refreshing to see him wearing attire that goes beyond a loin cloth. Jody McRae, son of Joel McRae, is a bland but efficient hero. The supporting cast includes ubiquitous screen villain Robert Tessier and future music industry phenomenon Casey Kassem (!), who co-produced the movie. The direction by Anthony M. Lanza is uninspired but efficient and the cinematography by Mario Tosi (billed here as Mario Tossi) is surprisingly impressive, which explains why he became a top name in "A"-grade studio productions. The rock music tracks, produced by Mike Curb, are awful. Curb was a Boy Wonder at the time, producing memorable music scores for American International films such as "The Wild Angels" and "Wild in the Streets". Here, he's clearly slacking. Curb composed the score with Davie Allan but the duo insert jaunty, upbeat tunes during moments that call for suspense-laden tracks. Nevertheless, the film remains consistently entertaining and stands as one of the better entries in this genre.

MGM has released "The Glory Stompers" as a burn-to-order DVD. Despite some initial artifacts present in the opening sequence, the print is crisp and clean. There are no bonus extras.

Available through major on-line retailers.

http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/8324-DVD-REVIEW-THE-GLORY-STOMPERS-1967-STARRING-DENNIS-HOPPER,-JODY-McCREA-CHRIS-NOEL-AND-JOCK-MAHONEY.html

(GER) Hells Angels murder trial reveals police slip-ups

November 4, 2014, 12:53 pm

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Ten bikers and an accomplice appeared in a Berlin court under heavy police protection on Tuesday, accused of shooting a man in front of a betting shop's security cameras in a case where the police fell short.

The 11 men in the dock are between 25 and 38 years old and ten of them belong to the banned Hells Angels Berlin chapter.

Tahir Ö., 26, was executed with six bullets inside the bookie's in Wedding on January 10th 2014.
Prosecutors accuse Hells Angels boss Kadir Padir of ordering the hit in revenge for Tahir's wounding of one of his troops, a bouncer at an Alexanderplatz nightclub, with a knife in October 2013. Padir is one of the 11 on trial.

On January 10th, the camera at the betting shop where Tahir was playing cards recorded 13 men entering through a back door, some of them masked.

While most of the attackers kept other customers under control, one of them drew a pistol and fired eight times, with six shots hitting Tahir, who died on the scene.

The whole sequence of events lasted just a few seconds.
But in part thanks to the evidence of the camera, the police were able to round up most of the men involved.

One of them, Kassa Z., known by his gang as “the Persian”, was so terrified of the possible life sentence on charges of collective murder that he agreed to give evidence to police.

As the star witness in the trial, he has been placed under witness protection.
The case is expected to last until early 2015.

It has revealed serious failings by police in the days leading up to the execution-style killing – and in the history of their dealings with the Hells Angels.

As the case was making its way to court, it emerged that an informant had warned police about the bounty on Tahir's head four times in the days before the killing.

http://www.thelocal.de/20141104/hells-angels-murder-trial-reveals-police-slip-ups

(EUR) VICIOUS MOTORCYCLE GxxG MONGOLS NOW IN AMSTERDAM

November 10, 2014, 4:21 am

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The outlaw motorcycle club Mongols, one of he most violent motorcycle clubs in the world, has opened a branch in Amsterdam.

The police has confirmed that the club was established in the Netherlands last month.

Members of the originally Californian motorcycle club have been convicted for drug trafficking, murder, extortion and assault, among other things. The American Ministry of Justice wants to ban the Mongol’s logo because they would form a criminal organization.

The Dutch branch was probably founded by Mongols from Germany. On October 11th the German Facebook page of the Mongols posted an announcement that the Dutch chapter is open. The Mongols’ website also recently announced the Dutch chapter.

A spokesperson for the police said that they are watching the club and are aware of its bad reputation. “Members of this club have frequently been guilty of serious criminal offenses.”

Germany is getting a lot of problems from the club. A few years ago a bomb was found in the Berlin clubhouse of the motorcycle club. The club has been banned in Bremen, the headquarters of the Mongols, since 2011. Last year there was a large fight between the Mongols and the Hells Angels. There were several injuries, a 41 year old man was critically wounded.

It immediately led to tensions when the outlaw motorcycle club Bandidos settled in the Netherlands at the beginning of this year. Bombs exploded in the houses of several Bandidos members. The Bandidos, like the Mongols, are rivals of the Hells Angels. The police does not want to speculate whether the same will happen now that the Mongols have established their branch in Amsterdam.

On Facebook the Dutch Mongols write that they stand for “honesty, loyalty and respect”.

http://www.nltimes.nl/2014/11/10/vicious-motorcycle-gang-mongols-now-amsterdam/

(AUS) Rebels bikie club boss Alex Vella says his visa ban is an assault ‘against human rights’ and he wants to come home from Malta

November 10, 2014, 4:23 am

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BANISHED Rebels bikie club boss Alex Vella has described his visa ban as an assault “against human rights” as he attends daily church services in Malta and writes poetry.

The 61-year-old Rebels national president — known as the Maltese Falcon — has been stranded in Malta after his visa was cancelled by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison in June.

During his five-month absence, the Rebels bikie organisation has been decimated by targeted state and federal police operations.

Speaking in a small café in Mosta, Vella describes his banishment as “against human rights”.

Wearing a black Hugo Boss polo shirt and brandishing his signature gold wedding ring, Vella looked exhausted as he pleaded his case.

“I’m caught here because they revoked my visa. My lawyers are working for me, I hope soon they can revoke this case and I can get back home to my family, my wife and the kids and grandkids I’d be more happy than sitting here,” Vella said.

With his arms crossed and sporting his famous handlebar moustache, Vella made a pitch to Mr Morrison to allow him entry back into Australia.

“What I’d like to say to the government is that I’m innocent in everything,” he said.

“I’ve done no wrong in 25 years, no charges against me.

“I stepped out of the country for two-weeks and I’ve been here for five-months — it’s against human rights.”

Mr Morrison told Ray Hadley on his 2GB show the government had no plans to let Vella back into Australia.

“I stand by my decision to cancel his visa and I stand by the decision not to review that decision,’’ Mr Morrison said.

“He is in Malta and according to our government’s policy, that’s where he will stay.’’

Mr Morrison said he expected Vella would appeal his decision through the courts.

“They can pursue this through the courts and they will do that no doubt,’’ he said.

“It is not the government’s plan or policy or demeanour to give this character a visa. We cancelled the visa that Labor renewed when it came to Mr Vella and I stand by that 100 per cent.”

Strike Force Attero - a joint federal and state operation targeting the Rebels - has laid more than 4200 charges and arrested up to 3000 people since its formation in 2012.

Vella’s family and supporters have launched a website selling stubby coolers and T-shirts with his face on them and the words “Bring Him Home” to raise money for his legal battle.

Local sources in Malta told The Daily Telegraph Mr Vella spends most of his days in church and at the local café with friends. They said there had been a “toll on his family”, especially his wife Heather.

Vella has lived in Australia for 46-years but has never applied for citizenship.

In 2007, Vella was blocked from returning to Australia from Japan but won a legal fight to gain a visa.

The loss of Vella and his national sergeant-at-arms Simon Rasic has left a leadership vacuum inside the Rebels gang.

NSW gangs squad commander Detective-Superintendent Deb Wallace told The Daily Telegraph the Rebels had been “hit from all angles” and were “certainly feeling the effects”.

“The Rebels now find themselves leaderless, with a number of their senior members no longer around,” Det-Supt Wallace said.

Det-Supt Wallace said Attero’s successor Morpheus would “direct the same intense level of government and law enforcement focus” against all outlaw motorcycle gangs.

“Attero not only targeted the Rebels criminal activities, it also investigated members’ tax and welfare payments, their travel movements and Rebels-associated businesses,” she said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/rebels-bikie-club-boss-alex-vella-says-his-visa-ban-is-an-assault-against-human-rights-and-he-wants-to-come-home-from-malta/story-fni0cx12-1227118447607?nk=db7ad3b04913b6063ce39c3c9fcfa73a

(USA) Lone Star Rally packs Galveston Island

November 10, 2014, 4:25 am

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GALVESTON -- As the beaches clear out for the winter ahead, a new wave comes roaring into town on Galveston Island. The four-day Lone Star Rally is here, cramming motorcycles into every corner of the island.

"Oh my gosh, this is the largest I've ever seen it in 10 years. Galveston Island is completely packed," said attendee Norm Humphrey.

Constance Boudreaux added, "This weekend is a girls' weekend for us. We came down from Lafayette, La., to show our support."

Wherever they come from, bikers are bringing big business to restaurants like The Spot.

"Right now our sales are up 25 percent year over year," said The Spot's Owner Dennis Byrd.

That's compared to last year's Lone Star Rally, which stacked up against a normal week's sales, he called it "exponentially more."

With as many as 650,000 people expected in town, it's the biggest weekend of the year for most businesses on the Island.

One woman furiously printing T-shirt's down on the Strand could only say, "It's busy—very busy!"

Promoters estimate the event generates more than $100 million over four days, and they have plans to take it even further. Promoters have added a car rally that they say has caught on more than they imagined.

"With such a big response to the cars, I could foresee this event going a week long: cars on the front end, bikes in the last," said promoter Mark Gray.

Keeping the thunder alive even longer down the road.

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2014/11/09/lone-star-rally-packs-galveston-island/18760035/