POLICE superintendent Russell Miller says anti-bikie laws have weakened the Mount Isa Rebels Club, which he believed could have used a tattoo shop to launder drug money.
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The tattoo shop has closed, key members have left Queensland, and several others have disassociated themselves from the club, the superintendent said.
The signs advertising the Rebels Clubhouse have also been stripped away.
“Their profile is certainly not out there as they probably want – for us there’s been quite a few wins with it,” Superintendent Miller said.
“So there was a considerable amount of money being made, we’re certainly aware of that, particular through the tattoo shop.
“Obviously new legislation stopped that – across the state tattoo shops were particularly being used for their illegal activities, and then laundering their money.
“A couple of their big players moved out of the state at that time as well because they couldn’t conduct their transactions and criminal activities without having to go underground.
“It’s pretty hard in Mount Isa being a small community.”
Superintendent Miller said the Mount Isa Rebels Club – which had a core group of about 15 members not including associates – had been linked to dangerous drugs.
The club president was recently released from prison, having been sentenced to six years’ jail for trafficking methyl amphetamines, although it’s unclear to police if he returned to Mount Isa.
The club also sold synthetic cannabis when it was still legal about three years ago, but the superintendent acknowledged it was the same product sold by a local tobacconist at the time.
“They (Rebels) were right in the thick of it … dealing dangerous drugs, dealing to our local community without a doubt, so (they were) very dangerous.”
Police and coroners believed synthetic cannabis was the cause of several deaths in Mount Isa.
“The coroner believed it was from using the synthetic drugs so it cooks you from the inside out, your organs … ice again is a synthetic, it’s not like your opiums or heroins that are made, this stuff is made in a half-baked laboratory.”
In the April 15 edition of The North West Star, Mount Isa Rebels club member Anthony Grahame said the chapter had no tolerance for hard drugs.
“And I tell you now, if we could have anything to do with it, there wouldn’t be any ice in this town.
“We’re got children in this town, plain and simple.”
Superintendent Miller objected to the comment’s implication because it was not up to the Rebels Club to enforce restriction of drugs.
“It’s not up to the Rebels to police drugs, it’s up to the police and the government authorities to police the drug whether they be in Mount Isa or wherever,” the superintendent said.
“My advice to Mr Grahame is if he has information of people dealing with any illicit drug he needs to come to the right authorities – he needs to come to the police.”
Mount Isa police inspector Trevor Kidd said the laws meant club members could no longer gather and intimidate patrons in local hotels.
“We had a number of incidents as well where they were involved in large fights in licensed premises, again we don’t see them gather in the large groups now and use those sorts of tactics,” Inspector Kidd said.
Inspector Kidd said illegal motorcycle club members had no interest in serving the Mount Isa community.
“Their business is unlawful activities; they have no interest in supporting the community in any shape or form, that’s why they call themselves the one-percenters.
“They are only interested in themselves.”
Superintendent Miller was asked if he believed the Mount Isa chapter was still behind illegal activities in the community. “If there are, we’re going to catch them,” he warned.