Gangs in sinister crime alliance

By Keith Perry

Motorcycle gangs which were once bitter enemies are teaming up in powerful, organised crime alliances.

Police say gangs like the Headhunters and the Hells Angels are not only working together but are taking over smaller biker gangs to boost their power and numbers.

The Weekend Herald revealed police estimates that the Headhunters gang is making millions out of its crime network.

Police say gangs such as the Headhunters and Hells Angels carefully pick the cream of the smaller gangs as "prospects," while telling other less skilled recruits they have failed to make the grade and win a coveted gang patch.

Detectives warn that in the next decade there will be fewer gangs but they will be more sophisticated, with international links to drug distribution and every other type of offending, ranging from murder, extortion and blackmail to robbery and arms dealing.

The gang intelligence officer for the Auckland police region, Detective Cam Stokes, says high-ranking gang members now drive Mercedes convertibles or Corvettes and live in plush million-dollar penthouses.

"Some of the gangs have top lawyers and accountants on retainer and huge amounts of money. One of the Auckland Hells Angels was caught recently for drug dealing and had over $100,000 cash seized from his address and a huge amount of unexplained income. He accumulated $230,000 in a 14-month period.

"The big gangs are now quite choosy about recruits. Rather than picking troublemakers who will get into fights and draw attention to themselves, they want people who make money for the gang from illegal activities."

He said the average age for recruits in the Auckland area was 34. People often joined gangs because they wanted protection for their own criminal activities.

The gangs are formed into a number of different alliances and cover the length of the country. The Hells Angels have a number of gangs affiliated. There are also groups such as Highway 61 with chapters right through New Zealand and Australia.

Alliances with other gangs are formed and broken regularly, and recently police have become increasingly concerned about how rival gangs are cooperating with one another in organised crime activities.

When there is a dispute, rival gangs prefer to settle their differences peacefully as battles interfere with money making.

The gangs usually have legitimate and illegitimate businesses, with the legitimate ones used as a front for laundering "dirty" money. Common businesses run by gang members include debt-collection agencies and security-type companies.

They operate from premises known as pads or club headquarters - secure fortresses regularly swept for bugging devices. Many also have watchtowers designed to keep their daily operations out of sight of the police.