Wayne Clark was once a senior member of Black Power, but is now affiliated to the Head Hunter motorcycle gang. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Wayne Clark was once a senior member of Black Power, but is now affiliated to the Head Hunter motorcycle gang. Photo / Brett Phibbs
An Auckland gang member with a long criminal history has now added a rare conviction to his resume: attempting to manufacture 3D-printed firearms.
Wayne Te Awawa John Clarke, 42, is a former senior member of Black Power who is now affiliated to the Head Hunters motorcycle gang.
Known in thecriminal underworld as “Wayniac” or 666 (the digits are tattooed on his throat), Clarke was investigated by a specialist police firearms team during the Covid-19 lockdown in Auckland.
Detectives were granted a High Court warrant in September 2021 to intercept his private communications including conversations with his partner.
The couple were overheard discussing the purchase of two 3D printers earlier that month and the progress of the various firearms parts that were being manufactured, such as a magazine clip.
When police raided Clarke’s property in Point England a few weeks later, they found one of the 3D printers manufacturing a part for an FGC-9 semi-automatic pistol.
FGC stands for “F*** Gun Control”, and the plans for the 3D-printed firearm are widely available online.
A selection of parts for the FGC-9 including telescopic stock pieces, a magazine, pistol grip, lower and upper receivers, were sitting beside the printer at Clarke’s home.
There were also handwritten notes on how to operate the 3D printer, and subsequent analysis of a laptop uncovered a folder labelled “3D print shit” which contained plans to manufacture a variety of firearms.
Clarke was not at home during the raid by the National Organised Crime Group firearms team.
Despite Auckland being in the middle of a four-month Covid-19 lockdown, Clarke had escaped the city cordon by hiding in the “back of a truck”, according to his conversations intercepted by police.
He travelled to Wellington to collect debts perceived to be owed to him, which is an underworld practice colloquially known as “taxing”.
Two days later, Clarke was arrested by the Special Tactics Group, the elite armed police squad, on the forecourt of a BP service station in Wellington.
Police also raided his mother’s house where he’d been staying and found a loaded .357 Magnum pistol and Head Hunters gang regalia.
Inside the glovebox of his Holden Commodore ute was 28 grams of methamphetamine. A Bruni 8mm pistol - modified from a sporting pistol that fires blanks - was also found in the vehicle.
Subsequent analysis of one of Clarke’s phones found several text messages from 2020 threatening to kill three people who owed him money.
He was in prison at the time, serving a sentence for possession of methamphetamine for supply and unlawful possession of a .357 magnum pistol.
“Lying little bitch. I’m going to f*** you up real good the next time we meet. I’ll f***ing kill you, you f***ing little bitch,” is an example of Clarke’s text threats.
An example of a completed 3D printed FGC-9 semi-automatic pistol. Photo / Supplied
Clarke has now pleaded guilty to three counts of threatening to kill or cause grievous bodily harm, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a Class A drug for supply, failing to comply with a Covid-19 order, and the attempted illegal manufacture of a firearm.
He is due to be sentenced in the Auckland District Court next month.
The prosecution of Clarke for attempting to manufacture firearms is rare - one of only three by the NOCG, according to a police spokesperson.
The technology of 3D printing means the plans to manufacture firearms almost entirely out of plastic - save for a few metal components - can easily be found online.
This makes it easy to circumvent laws restricting the sale and purchase of firearms, although not many 3D-printed firearms have been found in New Zealand - possibly because of the perceived unreliability of the homemade weapons.
Detectives believe more 3D guns are likely to be found in the future. This is because it will become harder for organised criminals to obtain firearms from licenced firearms owners - known as retail diversion or straw buying - now that the national firearms register is in place.
As well as 3D-printed firearms, other avenues could include gun-smuggling by sea, targeted burglaries of gun owners, or “smash-and-grab” ram raids on dealers.
There is also the likelihood of “guns for hire” where licence holders retain physical possession of their firearms but rent them to criminals.
There are also an unknown number of “grey market” firearms in New Zealand.
These are firearms purchased by gun licence holders, which were then banned after the Aramoana massacre and the Christchurch terror attack, but not handed over during the government buy-back period.
No one knows how many exist, but gun lobby groups estimated there could be hundreds of thousands, which could then enter the black market.
