A Cranbourne West man was among nine arrested as part of Victoria Police’s national day of action targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCG), including the Mongols.
The 34-year-old man was arrested for possessing 100mg of methylamphetamine and was part of Taskforce Morpheus’ day of action, focusing on OMCG members and their associates for Firearm Prohibition searches and other offences, including affray and drugs.
Suburbs including Narre Warren, Hallam, Clyde North, Parkdale, Mentone, St Kilda, Hoppers Crossing, Docklands, Diggers Rest, South Kingsville, Point Cook, South Morang, Craigieburn, Smythes Creek, Tatura and Shepparton were searched.
Detective Acting Inspector Ben Oakley, from Echo Taskforce, said that the day of action “shows how serious we are in tracking down outlaw motorcycle gangs to hold them accountable for their offences and keep Victorians safe”.
“OMCGs remain a significant national problem; they’re motivated by profit and greed, and infiltrate communities, industry and businesses.
“We’ll also continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners interstate to target any offending regardless of where it occurs,” he said.
The day of action, which took place on Wednesday, 10 September, saw detectives from the Echo Taskforce, VIPER Taskforce, and Hawk Taskforce, as well as police from regions including the Caulfield Divisional Response Unit and the Dandenong Family Violence Investigation Unit, team up to conduct 20 FPO searches in the mentioned suburbs.
As a result, and in addition to the Cranbourne West man, four new FPOs were served on OMCG members; six arrests were made, and they resulted in charges for an affray linked to an assault in a correctional facility in Lara on 7 December 2024.
“We also know these members have been involved in violent crimes, which is why we’ll continue working tirelessly and conduct days of action like this to impact their ability to cause further harm,” Oakley said.
The Cranbourne West man has since been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a drug of dependence and has been remanded to face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today, on Thursday, 11 September.
More than $1400 in cash was also seized by police during the arrest.
Another arrest included a 26-year-old Diggers Rest man for possessing prescription medications without a prescription.
Oakley added that the process is about “creating greater consequences for these individuals should they come into possession of a firearm”, adding that if they “want to roll the dice, they could be looking at up to 10 years in prison”.
Across the country, police arrested 41 people in total, resulting in 120 charges.
Police also conducted 43 FPO compliance checks, 21 search warrants, seizing two replica firearms, an amount of ammunition, more than 100kg of methamphetamine, 231ml of anabolic steroids, 447 tablets of prescription medication, about $20,000 worth of illicit tobacco and more than $32,000 in cash.
Police have urged that anyone with information about OMCG activity contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
