Rebels national president Damien Vella, his cousin Alex Vella Jnr and Carmelo Rositano plead guilty to criminal association charges

The national boss of the Rebels bikie gang and his cousin, the son of exiled leader Alex Vella, have pleaded guilty to associating with other gang members in Adelaide.

The national president of the Rebels Motorcycle Club and his cousin, another senior Rebel, have pleaded guilty to associating with gang members during a meeting in Adelaide last year.

Damien Vella, 42, the national president of the gang, and Alex Vella Jnr, 39, son of exiled Rebels boss Alex Vella, were arrested in March last year.

During a pre-trial conference earlier this year, the duo pleaded guilty to being present with two or more members of a criminal organisation, including Adelaide Rebels member Carmelo Rositano.

After their arrest the pair were granted bail and told to leave South Australia and only return for court-related purposes. They were ordered to return to NSW and not leave the state.

In March, the pair varied their bail to allow them to travel to Malta for the Rebels’ 50th anniversary celebrations.

The celebrations were to be held in Malta to include Alex Vella Snr, who had his visa cancelled on character grounds in 2014.

Rebels national president Damien Vella leaving Penrith Court in January this year.

Police and prosecutors launched an appeal in the Supreme Court in a bid to prevent them leaving the country, but events in Sydney overtook the application.

On March 22, 2022, the Vellas were arrested in Sydney and charged over an arsenal of weapons, including a semiautomatic rifle, handguns and ammunition, found in Sydney’s South-West.

NSW police alleged that the Vellas forced a third party to store the weapons and then attempted to sell that person’s vehicle as a form of “punishment”.

The pair were prevented from leaving the country.

The nature of the Vellas’ presence in South Australia remains unknown – however the Rebels have been locked in internal conflict in the east coast over the past year.

Exiled Rebels boss Alex Vella and his son Alex Vella Jnr, who has pleaded guilty to criminal association charges.

Senior Rebels bikie Gino Vella died suddenly in NSW in January last year and a short time later Jesse Vella, Gino’s son, patched over to the rival Comanchero.

It has been reported that NSW police feared there would be a gang war between the rival groups in the wake of the division of Gino’s significant property empire.

In January this year Damien Vella was fined in the Penrith Local Court in Sydney for resisting arrest.

He and his partner had been riding through Sydney on a Harley Davidson when they were pulled over by officers attached to Raptor Squad – which targets bikies in NSW.

One of the officers ordered Damien Vella to hand over his Rebels vest so it could be checked for weapons.

When he didn’t obey, the officer pepper-sprayed him.

The Vellas and Rositano will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court next week for sentencing submissions.