Mick Clark: Nomads president arrested in Canberra after probe into south coast shootings
Nomads outlaw motorcycle gang national president Mick Clark, 34, has been arrested after a NSW police and AFP probe into a series of south coast shootings.
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The national president of the Nomads outlaw bikie gang, Mick Clark, was arrested at Canberra Hospital just moments after his wife gave birth on Wednesday, a court has heard.
Clark’s arrest marked the culmination of months of painstaking detective work into three Nomads-linked shootings at Batemans Bay in December.
Clark, 34, of Kingston in the ACT, is accused of directing a criminal organisation and with supplying the guns and ammo used in the shooting.
The shootings, at View St, Batehaven, the Kings Hwy at Nelligen and the Princes Hwy at Batemans Bay, prompted NSW Police to set up a gangbusting strike force, which has now arrested 11 gang members or associates.
Clark fronted the ACT Magistates Court for an extradition hearing on Thursday morning, where Magistrate Bernadette Boss ordered NSW to take him across the NSW border to Queanbeyan.
He was formally charged with knowingly directing the activities of criminal group, participating in a criminal group, supplying a prohibited firearm and supplying ammunition.
He was refused police bail and will spend the night in the Queanbeyan police lockup before applying for bail at Goulburn Local Court on Friday.
In granting the extradition request, Dr Boss said a Facebook post of Clark’s suggested he had no respect for the law and would not show up at court.
“I’m back c**t faces!! The filth have had control of my FB ... Always a way to beat the dogs. Never give up, we are who we are ... f**k the cops and f**k the law,” the post said.
Clark had also failed to appear as a witness at a recent hearing.
Police evidence that Clark was the Nomads national president was uncontested, but Clark’s lawyer, Peter Woodhouse, said his client was a retired life member of the gang and had turned his colours in.
Clark’s father, Wayne Clark, is also a life member of the gang, and was in court supporting his son.
Clark’s arrest followed police raids on properties in the Canberra suburbs of Kingston and Kambah.
During the raids, police seized Nomads paraphernalia, including gang patches, a gun, cash, drugs and two cars.
The Kambah house is understood to have been the same property which was the target of a driveby shooting and firebombing in February, which police at the time said they suspected was gang-related.
Clark has long led the powerful Canberra chapter of the Nomads, and has served as the gang’s on-again, off-again national president.
ACT policing Detective Superintendent Scott Moller told reporters Clark was wanted in relation to the firearms charges and directing a criminal group in New South Wales.
“Importantly, with the arrest of this man … the influence of his club within the ACT and the broader Australian community has been significantly reduced,” he said.
NSW police Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow said the NSW investigation quickly found the shootings had been “directed and led” by people from the ACT.
Supt Critchlow said everyone arrested so far was a member or associate of the Nomads.
He said the mission of the NSW strike force was to eradicate the Nomads from around Batemans Bay.
“This investigation will not stop,” he said.
Supt Critchlow said there was evidence the Nomads regularly ran drugs and weapons between Canberra and Batemans Bay.
“We feel that this trade, this transport of weapons drugs and violent conduct between Canberra and the coast has been stopped.”
