Nick ‘the Knife’ Forbes allegedly directed other Mongols in drug trade and cash collection

Police intercepted thousands of messages which they allege linked bikie boss Nick “the Knife” Forbes for drug trafficking across the Gold Coast. Find out what court documents have revealed.

Bikie boss Nick “the Knife” Forbes allegedly directed other Mongols bikies, including his own son, about supplying drugs and collecting cash in order to control the gang’s Gold Coast drug network, court documents have revealed.

Text messages with his son were a part of what helped police arrest Forbes for allegedly trafficking the drug ice, court documents allege.

The court documents obtained by the Bulletin outline just what police found when accessing the encrypted messages sent through the AN0M platform.

Forbes has been charged with trafficking dangerous drugs and faced Southport Magistrates Court for a bail hearing last week.

He will be contesting the charges.

Mongols national president Nick 'The Knife' Forbes is alleged to have trafficked the drug ice. Picture: Floss Adams.

As well as the alleged cross-border drug trafficking, the court documents also claim Forbes – the national president of the Mongols bikie gang – had plans to start a Northern Territory chapter.

In the court documents, police allege that is why Forbes had travelled to Darwin earlier this month while a Mongols national run was going on.

Forbes was arrested at the airport for allegedly assaulting a Hells Angels rival at a Darwin nightclub in 2014.

He was bailed and just days later he was arrested in his Tugun home, accused of trafficking drugs between March and June last year.

Forbes was granted bail under strict conditions – including a $50,000 surety – with Magistrate Jane Bentley noting he was likely to have more contact with bikies if remanded in custody.

Court documents tendered during the bail hearing allege that there was more than 1000 encrypted communications, mostly text messages, between March and June last year related to Forbes and his son, Haydn Forbes about their alleged involvement in the supply, trafficking and importation of drugs and firearms into Queensland and “elsewhere”.

Police allege Mongols national president Nick ‘the Knife’ Forbes was directing Mongols is accused of instructing other bikies about how to avoid police detection. Picture: Floss Adams.

Haydn Forbes is alleged to be the vice-president of the Mongols West City chapter and is currently in custody as one of 10 men accused of murdering bikie Shane Bowden in October 2020.

The court documents claim that police found information about:

* The hierarchy in the Mongols that indicated Forbes was the national president and was allegedly primarily responsible for controlling the drug trade on behalf of the Mongols;

* Forbes was also allegedly responsible for controlling the drug trade conducted by other senior Mongols and “counselled and instructed by (Forbes) on actions to effectively protect their network and themselves from police intervention”;

* Forbes was allegedly able to arrange the collection of large sums of unexplained cash which was then allegedly used for trafficking and importing drugs;

* He allegedly counselled other Mongols, including his son, in relation to supplying drugs and collecting cash to ensure control the bikie gangs’ Gold Coast drug distribution network;

* Forbes allegedly was planning a large shipment of “rack” cocaine but there was no evidence the shipment ever landed in Australian borders; and

* He allegedly planned to establish a Northern Territory chapter of the Mongols and had outlined the conditions for prospective members including drug trafficking and violence.

The court documents also detail how police watched as Forbes allegedly met someone in a ute registered to a Mongols member in Runaway Bay on June 7 last year – the day before the Operation Ironside closure.

Hayden Forbes the son of Nick "The Knife" Forbes. Picture Facebook

Police allege the ute then drove to a canal near Bayview Street where they threw an object into the water.

This was allegedly the AN0M device – with the user name dirtygrowth – used by Forbes, the court documents said.

Police have been given until December 20 to put together a full brief of evidence – a much longer time frame than the usual six week period due to the volume of information to be considered.

The matter will return to court on the same day.

It is understood that since being released on bail Forbes has returned home and been laying low.

His pregnant partner, who was rushed to hospital during the police raid on their Tugun home, has returned home from hospital.

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Originally published as Nick ‘the Knife’ Forbes allegedly directed other Mongols in drug trade and cash collection