Police crackdown on Finks clubhouse near Bairnsdale
Finks bikies have had their “visas for east Gippsland cancelled”, as police crack down on the gang as it tries to gain a foothold in the Bairnsdale area.
Police & Courts
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The Finks bikie gang has closed their east Gippsland clubhouse after a police crackdown on members last month.
In the past 12 months, the Finks have tried to gain a foothold in the Bairnsdale area, to the concern of police and some locals.
They had set up the clubhouse in the small town of Lindenow, near Bairnsdale.
It was described as a rudimentary shed-style set-up with a bar, occasionally used for parties.
But the Herald Sun has been told it was closed after the recent wave of police activity in the area.
That included the arrest of the local chapter’s president.
The Finks had been recruiting locally after setting up what was dubbed the Kalimna chapter of their international outlaw motorcycle gang.
They are believed to have relaxed standards to help bring newcomers on board.
But local detectives, assisted by the VIPER and Echo task forces, made a sweep of some key players last month and raided the Lindenow stronghold.
They used firearms prohibition orders during the operation to carry out 16 compliance checks on members and others with serious violent histories.
Seven new FPOs were served, which means the recipient cannot have a gun and is exposed to searches without a warrant.
Breaches carry prison terms of up to 10 years.
Drugs, weapons and a stolen motorcycle were seized and a 20-year-old man was charged with methylamphetamine trafficking.
The Kalimna members are believed to have been paying fees to the Melbourne arm of the Finks for the right to wear the gang’s distinctive colours.
There had been concern about the fear and intimidation associated with having an OMCG in the area, a feeling compounded by a nasty road rage incident.
“Their visas for east Gippsland were cancelled,” a source told the Herald Sun.
The Finks – one of the big-six bikie gangs – are said to be eyeing other country areas in Victoria and have a presence in the state’s southwest.
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