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Youth gangs plan Melbourne chaos when leaders out of jail

The notorious Eastside Drillers gang — responsible for carjackings and home invasions — is planning to cause havoc on Melbourne’s streets as soon as key gang members are released from prison.

Eastside Drillers gang members at Footscray Station. Picture: Instagram
Eastside Drillers gang members at Footscray Station. Picture: Instagram

Youth gangs are planning to “raise hell” on Melbourne streets when well-known kingpins are released from jail.

The Herald Sun can reveal gang members, believed to be from the notorious Eastside Drillers (ESD) gang – mostly consisting of African youths – who are responsible for violent street brawls, carjackings and home invasions, are preparing to cause havoc on Melbourne’s streets, when prominent members are released from jail.

It comes after tensions between rival Islander gangs “BH” Brotherhood and 97 boiled over in the days leading up to the alleged murder of Solomone Taufeulungaki, 15.

He was killed in an alleged gang attack outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Deer Park after leaving school on Tuesday.

There are fears the gangs are arranging a fight in the suburb tomorrow night following the fatal stabbing, with police now considering launching an operation in response to a string of violent gang attacks.

Although African youths were not involved in the alleged murder on Tuesday, insiders say other youth gangs are still running amok with car thefts, street brawls and snatch-and-grab robberies.

Most members wear designer goods including Gucci messenger bags, high-end accessories and other brand names to show their “gangster” status.

In one disturbing image, members are seen posing up and signalling a gun with their hands, with the caption: “I got n****s in the cell, when tsav home we raising hell”.

In other shocking footage sent to the Herald Sun a youth gang member is holding up a hammer to terrified youths forcing them to “kiss his shoes”.

One boy, 17, who “ran with the Sudanese gangs” for two years until he was jailed for several aggravated burglaries and car thefts, said the gangs were trying to gain power with fear.

“They are live streaming fights and uploading videos to Snapchat and Insta because they want to show how tough they are,” he said.

“They will come out of jail and get straight back into the gangs, they have no fear of the law.”

An acting Sergeant, from the Proactive Policing Unit in Melbourne’s southeast, has previously told the Herald Sun that police were “spread too thin” to deal with youth crime.

“Youths roaming in groups around the Dandenong precinct has been a huge problem for us. “We need more resources on the ground to deal with them,” he said.

Youth worker Maria Kumer said tensions between the Sudanese community and Pacific Islander community had been “brewing” for some time in Melbourne’s western suburbs – however the incident in Deer Park on Tuesday was not connected to that animosity.

“They have this hate for one another, I don’t think they really know themselves why this is brewing,” Ms Kumer said.

“It’s a territorial thing between the two cultures, one wants to be better than one another. I don’t think the kids even know why the tensions are brewing.”

READ MORE:

WHO’S WHO IN MELBOURNE’S YOUTH GANG SCENE

US-STYLE GANG CULTURE PLAGUES OUR STREETS

suzan.delibasic@news.com.au

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/youth-gangs-plan-melbourne-chaos-when-leaders-out-of-jail/news-story/d80de7a7581352c55aef4269feb92438