Operation Condor launched to target Comanchero bikie gang

A major operation has been launched to crack down on the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang and eradicate them from our shores.

Law enforcement agencies have joined forces to declare war on the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang, vowing to bust them apart and eradicate them from our shores.

Operation Condor has been launched to specifically target the bikie gang, which is considered one of the most dangerous crime entities in Australia.

Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners from every policing jurisdiction as well as Australian Federal Police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Taxation Office, AUSTRAC, Australian Border Force and New Zealand Police have been in Melbourne this week to discuss the gang’s ongoing threat.

“They present a significant risk to the community,” Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police, Robert Hill, said.

Operation Condor will specifically target the Comanchero bikie gang. Picture: David Crosling

“In this state and in other states, we’ve seen murders, we’ve seen people seriously injured as a consequence of shootings. These individuals are ruthless and they ruin communities in terms of extortion, blackmails, serious assaults and murders to pursue their nefarious ways.”

Mr Hill, who is chairing the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee (SOCCC) meeting, said the gang exploited Australia’s “insatiable appetite” for illicit drugs.

“We’re matched by very few across the world in terms of consumption of illicit drugs in this country and these people exploit that opportunity for financial gain.

“They are a transnational serious organised crime entity and it’s through their connections abroad that they import illicit drugs and traffick those substances across the country.

“To enable that crime, they will import and use illicit firearms. The shootings, the assaults … there is a significant effort on behalf of policing jurisdictions with our partner agencies to disrupt, dismantle, enforce the law and hold these people to account.

“Victoria Police has been relentlessly pursuing and busting apart the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) and collaboration with federal and state agencies has been crucial to developing a clear picture of the OMCG and how they operate, allowing police to infiltrate and disrupt their unlawful activities,” Mr Hill said.

There are 16 members of the gang currently in prison, including Comanchero boss Mick Murray, who was this year charged with the 2019 murder of Tony Mokbel associate Mitat Rasimi in Dandenong.

Victoria Police has also arrested 37 current gang members, laid 571 charges and issued 25 Firearm Prohibition Orders.