Tasmania Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have conducted a joint operation targeting bikie gangs, seizing 26 firearms, three tasers, and a range of drugs. The raids, which began on Tuesday, included searches of prison cells, eight motorcycle gang clubrooms, 30 homes of members and associates, three businesses, and several vehicles.
Among the firearms seized were nine handguns, most of which were loaded. Police also found quantities of prescription and illegal drugs, including ice and speed, along with $200,000 in cash. Fourteen people have been arrested, and a further 19 summonses have been issued as a result of the operation.
Acting Police Commissioner Mark Mewis said investigations are continuing and warned outlaw gangs that their activities are a significant focus. 'They continue to operate under the misguided belief that they can somehow operate outside the law,' he said.
AFP Detective Superintendent Nigel Ryan noted that Tasmanian gang members are part of an organized crime network that stretches across state boundaries. As part of the national anti-gang squad framework, an AFP liaison officer will now be permanently embedded in Tasmania's newly formed Serious and Organised Crime Unit.
'These gangs, they do harm to our communities and they have no regard for our society,' Ryan said. 'This now completes the AFP footprint nationally as part of the national anti-gangs framework.'
