Australian bikies in prison or custody and how they got there
These are some of Australia's most well-known bikies who are currently in jail or in custody, and how they ended up there. See who’s on the list.
Police & Courts
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They are all linked — currently or historically — to the nation’s biggest bikie gangs but when police lay charges, different crews can end up in the same place — prison.
With Comanchero boss Mark Buddle remanded into custody following his extradition from Turkey, and former Comanchero national president Mick Murray also recently remanded into custody in Victoria after being charged with the murder of gangland figure Mitat Rasimi in 2019, there are others who are also on remand in jail — or who have been convicted of various crimes and incarcerated.
We take a look at some of the bikies who are currently in jail — and how they ended up in there.
VICTORIA
Mark Buddle
The Comanchero bikie boss was detained in Northern Cyprus in early July and then moved to Turkey, before being extradited to Australia on August 3. He landed in Darwin and was taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police on charges linked to importing 160kg of cocaine, with a street value of $40m, into Melbourne in mid-2021.
He faced Darwin Local Court via audiovisual link and was ordered to be extradited to Victoria by August 10 to face the charges there. He was flown to Victoria on August 5 and fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court, where he did not apply for bail. He was remanded back into custody to return to court on October 26.
Mick Murray
The former Comanchero national president Mick Murray has been remanded in custody after being charged with the murder of the 2019 murder of gangland figure Mitat Rasimi. He was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at his Lysterfield South home in April and will remain in custody until he faces a four-day committal hearing in December.
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Robert Ale
Former head of The Last Kings, a brutal subgroup of the Comanchero, was in 2019 sentenced to 18 years in prison for trafficking drugs, ordering hits and organising Melbourne gentlemen’s club Kittens to be burned to the ground. He has a non-parole period of 13 years and nine months, making him eligible for parole in 2032.
Matthew Bruce
Rebels bikie sergeant-at-arms Matthew Bruce was sentenced in August 2020 to 21-and-a-half years in jail over a series of crimes, including drive-by shootings, drug trafficking and arson.
He appealed the severity of the sentence but as his current sentence stands, he is eligible for parole after spending 15 years in jail.
Dennis Basic
Former Hells Angel bikie Dennis Basic was in 2022 sentenced to 26 months and 14 days in jail, with a non-parole period of 20 months, after he violently assaulted police officers and a police horse at two separate anti-lockdown protests in 2020.
Phillip Maynard
Sergeant-at-arms in the Rebels and a former member of the Vigilantes, Phillip Maynard, is remanded in custody on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, armed robbery, intentionally causing injury, assault with a weapon and a raft of firearms charges.
NSW
Tarek Zahed
Comanchero boss Tarek Zahed was arrested in a dramatic police operation in Edgecliff on Sunday, August 28 where bean bag bullets were used to stop the vehicle he was travelling in.
He was charged with murder over the 2014 death of Youssed Assoum, who had been shot once in the right thigh and had been stabbed several times in the head and was found bleeding out near Bankstown Hospital.
Zahed was also charged with kidnapping in company with intent to commit a serious indictable offence in relation to Mr Assoum’s alleged murder.
He was taken into custody and his matter went before the courts on the Monday, where his lawyer did not apply for bail.
His lawyer indicated she would make a release application when Zahed goes before Bankstown Local Court on September 5.
Zahed was the national sergeant-at-arms for the Comanchero OMCG when he was shot 10 times outside a western Sydney gym in May and had only resurfaced last week after recovering from his severe injuries. His brother Omar was killed in the same attack.
Mohamed ‘Mick’ Hijazi
Comanchero bikie Mohamed Hijazi was sentenced to 17 months jail on May 29, 2021 after pleading guilty to possessing a pistol and possessing a prohibited weapon. He was stabbed and bashed in prison and has a non-parole period of 13 months, which could see him released in October 2022.
Emmanuel Vamvoukakis
The Comanchero sergeant-at-arms of the NSW South Coast was arrested as part of Operation Ironside and then charged with conspiring to import cocaine into Australia from Greece, dealing with the proceeds of crime and directing the activities of a criminal organisation. He is in custody on remand as he awaits court procedures over four charges.
Maher Aouli
Alleged Comanchero member Maher Aouli was charged over an alleged plot to import $64 million worth of cocaine into Australia via a secret compartment in a cargo ship. A Sydney court heard he allegedly conspired to import the cargo of drugs into Newcastle from Brazil and in 2021, was charged with conspiring to import a commercial quantity of cocaine, directing a criminal group and trafficking a marketable quantity of cocaine in a separate import. He was denied bail and is on remand.
Elias Elchaar
Alleged national sergeant-at-arms of the Lone Wolf gang, Elias Elchaar, of Fig Tree, was charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime, with police alleging he was involved in the movement of $8 million in drug profits. He was denied bail and is on remand awaiting sentencing.
Troy Fornaciari
Former high-ranking Finks bikie Troy Fornaciari is in custody on remand after police apprehended him in May 2022 and charged him with commercial drug supply, demanding property by force in company with intent, using an offensive weapon in company with intent, and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Police will allege Fornaciari bashed a 42-year-old man, threatened him with a knife and demanded he hand over $20,000 in cash inside a home in Dapto, south of Wollongong, on May 13.
QUEENSLAND
Shane Bowden murder
Ten alleged Mongols bikie members, including Mongols West City Chapter president Ian Ronald Crowden, face charges relating to the murder of Shane Bowden, who was shot 21 times as he sat in a car inside the garage of his Pimpama home in October 2020.
Crowden allegedly gave instructions and helped organise the logistics behind the murder.
The co-accused also include Junior Jasmine Torope, the alleged shooter, who became a patched member of Mongols West City Chapter in June 2020; James Winston Mau’u, the alleged shooter, who became a patched member of the Mongols West City Chapter in February 2020; Fidel Gunes, life member of Mongols, allegedly bought first GPS and linked it to his phone; David Steven Meataui, Mongols Sergeant At Arms, allegedly held murder weapons for safe keeping before the murder; Adam John Murphy who became a patched member of Mongols in January 2021, with police alleging his membership was “fast tracked”; Peter Michael Cummins, Mongols treasurer/secretary, allegedly drove the silver Commodore carrying accused shooters; Haydn Thomas Forbes, Mongols vice-president, accused of helping to organise the murder.
They are all currently on remand in custody awaiting court proceedings.
Benjamin Joseph Thornton
Former Bandido member, Benjamin Joseph Thornton was charged with drug trafficking after police alleged he smuggled 2kg of ice to Brisbane via the postal service from the US, hidden in computer hard-drives, in May. He was alleged to use the AN0M pseudonyms “battle climb” “supply by” and “was proper”. He was in custody on remand ahead of a committal mention on August 5.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Matthew Kokotis
Comanchero Matthew Kokotis was jailed in July 2022 for threatening a man and woman with a replica firearm in front of a child in 2019.
During sentencing submissions in court, police revealed Kokotis was a former member of the Hells Angels who had joined the Comanchero gang in September 2019.
Kokotis was sentenced to two years, five months and 17 days after taking into account the time he had spent already in custody, with a non-parole period of one year, five months and seven days.
TASMANIA
Todd Michael Walker
Bandidos member Todd Michael Walker was sentenced to two years imprisonment from July 27, 2021 for bashing a club supporter who supposedly tarred the reputation of the Bandidos. He was eligible for parole on July 27, 2022.
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