Thirty-one properties, from Muswellbrook to Newcastle, were
targeted in Thursday's large-scale sting involving more than 280 police
officers cracking down on the escalating conflict between rival clubs - the
Finks and the Nomads.
Weapons, explosive detonators, guns, drugs and reptiles were
seized, while 11 of those arrested were charged with participating in a
criminal group and two were charged with drug offences.
Strikeforce Raptor, the squad of officers most reviled by
the OMCG underworld, will remain in the region to support local police until
the conflict ends.
The raids follow an investigation into the ongoing
"civil war" between the two clubs, believed to have begun in late
2016, when a former Nomads bikies switched allegiance by "patching
over" to the Finks.
There have since been a string of incidents, from assaults
to drive-by shootings and firebombings, each more serious than the last.
In an affidavit tendered to the NSW Supreme Court last week,
Sergeant Gary Broadhurst said the Hunter conflict was the most significant
bikie war occurring in NSW.
The 13 men charged were granted strict conditional bail,
with nine scheduled to appear at Newcastle Local Court on May 3 and the
remaining four due to appear at the same court on April 26.
SOURCE: The West Australian
Source: Biker Trash Network