A Mongrel Mob Thailand chapter member was seen strolling through a Windsor Park event. Photo / NZME
A gang expert says there are 22 chapters of the Mongrel Mob in Hawke's Bay, but a recent new patch sighting in Hastings has surprised even him.
'Mongrel Mob Thailand' read the patch on the back of a man strolling among punters at a public event at Windsor Park recently.
The Mongrel Mob, which legend has it was formed in Hawke's Bay, has more than 30 official chapters including Notorious, Aotearoa and Fatherland, and has had sporadic examples of chapters popping up overseas.
Hawke's Bay-based Black Power life member Denis O'Reilly thought it was likely to be a "trophy chapter", and perhaps not even one of the 22 chapters of the gang presently known in the region.
The likes of the Thailand chapter often stem from a former local having lived or visited a country and declared themselves a new chapter, he said.
"I would look at it somewhat cynically and a bit show pony-ish, but I could be wrong. They could be deep-rooted chapters or nothing at all," he said.
"But it would seem to me that if you're a serious criminal organisation, the last thing you'd want to do is parade around with a 'Mongrel Mob Thailand' patch on. It would be a pretty bloody fast way to get your travel documents revoked, I would've thought."
New Zealand's leading gang expert Jarrod Gilbert said while he was unaware of the Thailand chapter, international chapters are not new for the gang, with some throughout Australia and the Pacific, as well as across Europe and America.
"International chapters have been accelerating in recent times, but their significance is really unknown," he said.
"The concern would be if these chapters were creating international criminal links. That is certainly something New Zealand Police would want to keep an eye on."
One gang link to Thailand is well-known Mongrel Mob member Joe Edmonds, who now goes by the name Josef Armani Heart. He was deported from Western Australia in 2018, where the gang was attempting to establish a chapter, then moved to Thailand, where he still lives.
Heart is a friend of Sonny Fatu Junior, the nephew of Waikato Mongrel Mob president Sonny Fatu.
Gilbert said the Thailand chapter and those similar are based internationally, with the sighting likely down to a visiting member.
"It would be rare to wear an international patch permanently in New Zealand," he added.
"It shouldn't have an undue influence on New Zealand. If they are a concern, they'll be a concern for their country in which they are established in."
Gilbert, a senior lecturer at Canterbury University, said the "substantial growth" in chapters and members in Hawke's Bay is down to a significant recruitment drive.
Police said they were aware of the presence of multiple gangs and chapters within the Hawke's Bay community, but declined to comment on the Thailand chapter.
"Gang members are also members of our community and police continue to have dialogue with gang and community leaders in an ongoing effort to prevent violence," a spokeswoman said.
Gilbert said the Mob's stronghold in Hawke's Bay – the gang's "fatherland" – continues to cause issues.
"It's meant the number of opposition is very low," he said.
"There is a Black Power presence – largely in Taradale – but that's only a little fort surrounded by enemy."
The police spokeswoman said officers continue to target gangs and anyone involved in organised crime and the illegal possession of firearms.