RSS Feed
March 12th, 2013 
David Schulberg the 3rd 
Police at the scene. Picture: John Grainger
Source: The Daily Telegraph
The major police raid in Sydney’s west. Pic: Craig Greenhill
Source: The Daily Telegraph
HELLS Angels Sydney chapter president Felix Lyle will appear in Central Local Court this afternoon on serious drugs and weapons supply charges.
Lyle is scheduled to appear in Central Local Court after he was arrested at a hotel in the Sydney Cbd this morning after 7.50am.
He is charged with offering to sell fire arm, supplying a large commercial quantity of amphetamine and one count of supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine.
GALLERY: See more pictures of the police dawn raids here
He is currently being held in he cells at Central Local Court.
Lyle’s solicitor Matthew Lorkin declined to comment.
The arrest was part of a series of raids which took place this morning across Sydney.
Organised crime squad Superintendent Mick Plotecki said about 400 police officers were involved in the raids, which saw 30 warrants executed, and 18 people arrested. About 29 people are expected to be arrested today.
Among those targeted were “very senior members” of the Hells Angels, Rebels and Comancheros bikie gangs, as well as Asian and Balkan crime groups.
Earlier today, explosive, , firearms, a machine gun and more than $500,000 in counterfeit cash were seized by police in dawn raids on the premises of organised crime gangs.
Organised crime squad Superintendent Mick Plotecki said about 400 police officers were involved in the raids, which saw 30 warrants executed, and 18 people arrested. About 29 people are expected to be arrested today.
Among those targeted were “very senior members” of the Hells Angels, Rebels and Comancheros bikie gangs, as well as Asian and Balkan crime groups.
Supt Plotecki said police have seized explosives, a machine gun, firearms – including pistols, shot guns and shortened firearms – imitiation firearms, $500,000 in counterfeit cash, a hand grenade and a variety of drugs.
“I am disturbed by some of the stuff we’ve taken because of the sheer audacity of these people to think they can actually acquire these materials,” he said.
Supt Plotecki said, over the 21-month investigation, police executed 95 warrants and 41 telephone interception warrants covering 94 telephones. Investigators intercepted more than 500,000 telephone calls.
He said this morning’s arrests wiped out some underground networks.
“Some of the networks we’ve targeted, we’ve basically arrested the whole network so they will be defunct as an entity,” he said. “The key component of this job is targeting those people that make these networks work and we’re targeting particularly the people who go out and procure firearms and drugs and also those that supply them. It certainly makes it more difficult for them. The question they’ve got to ask themselves is who am I dealing with.”
NSW Police Force Commissioner Andrew Scipione said Strike Force Alistair netted senior crime figures.
“You will be surprised by some of the names that will come out. There are some very senior members of organised crime gangs and that will roll out over the course of the day. You will be surprised with some of the allegations because they’re very serious,” he said.
“In terms of organised crime, NSW Police and the Crime Commission have you people [criminals] firmly in our sights. We’re not going away.
“We’ll continue to pursue you, those that support you, those that supply you with drugs. We will come after you. The team today has shown you what we can do…There will be another operation.”
Two new search warrants were undertaken in the Wollongong area this morning.
The home of George Bubanja is among those raided – he is expected to be charged with drug offences.
Babunja is a major figure on the police radar and has been for many years.
His son, Dalibor, is currently in jail for murder In Sydney the home if Giacomo “Jack” Dipizio – the president-elect of the Comanchero outlaw bikie gang – was raided on Hillary Street. His brother, Gianni, also had his house on Merrylands road at Merrylands raided.
Police will allege Gianni is not a member of a bikie gang but was the link for the Comanchero to Asian organised crime figures.
On Pearson Street at South Wentworthville police arrested Kamel “Blackie” Barakat – he was brought out in handcuffs wearing only orange underwear.
A Harley Davidson motorbike was also seized at the address.
Earlier this morning, several high-ranking Comancheros and Hells Angels bikies were arrested during a massive police operation across Sydney and Wollongong.
Heavily armed teams from the elite Tactical Operations Unit raided two homes at Greystanes and South Wentworthville in Sydney’s west around 6.30 arresting two men – understood to be the President of the Comancheros and the Vice President of the Hells Angels Merrylands chapter.
Another man believed to be the brother of the Vice President of the Hells Angels Parramatta chapter was also arrested at his home at South Wentworthville.
Today’s operation, codenamed Strike Force Alistair, is the culmination of a 21-month highly covert joint investigation by State Crime Command detectives and the NSW Crime Commission.
Across the city, hundreds of uniformed officers. State crime command detectives and specialists including the Riot Squad executed simultaneous raids on homes and premises including the Hells Angels clubhouse in Chinatown.
It is understood several senior crime figures from Balkan organised crime and Sing Ma, an Asian organised crime gang, have also been swept up in the net.
Those arrested today are expected to be charged with almost 100 serious drug and firearms offences including supply commercial quantities of drugs and trafficking guns and explosives.
Police will allege senior Balkan organised crime figures supplied a quantity of guns and explosives to a number of bikies which were intended to be used in the escalating war between the Hells Angels and the Comancheros.
During the investigation a large quantity of drugs and guns were seized along with more than half a million dollars in counterfeit money – allegedly belonging to the Comancheros.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione is expected to hold a joint conference with head of the NSW Crime Commission, Peter Hastings later this morning.
Additional reporting: Brenden Hills and Ian Walker
Source Article from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newscomauthenationndm/~3/H9Jmsqbj358/story01.htm
Related posts:
Views: 1
Posted in 
Tags: 
Our Governments use the bikies to drug traffic for them. Then when it suits the government, they throw the bikies under the bus to make it look like the drug war is real.