Ninth Commandment
2005-04-19 02:05:36 UTC
The Herald is running an extensive investigation into the illicit drug
industry in New Zealand. This second part focuses on the gangs
involved.
As the time neared for his release from Paremoremo prison, Andrew
Sisson could content himself with the knowledge that waiting for him
was his lifestyle property on the fringe of Riverhead forest.
The same property where in 1997 $97,000 cash was found buried in one
spot while a recipe for methamphetamine was hidden in another.
The same property that was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act
after Sisson and his wife, Vikki Thorne-George, were found guilty in
1999 of conspiring to supply methamphetamine and of money laundering.
The same property bought in Thorne-Georges name in 1993, months
before Sisson was convicted for importing $200,000 of methamphetamines
hidden inside a vehicle transmission.
Sisson, big, strong and macho, is a rarity: a big fish Hells Angels
motorcycle gang member who got caught.
Hells Angels is rated the most influential organised crime group in
New Zealand, and also the hardest to catch. With members who are older
and wiser than their counterparts in other gangs, Hells Angels are
risk-averse, seldom adding new patched members.
"Ses", as Sisson is known, became a patched member in 1982 and is the
gangs sergeant-at-arms, responsible for rules and discipline.
One-time Hells Angels world secretary, he is trusted internationally,
particularly in the United States. Sisson, like many of his
colleagues, is a regular international traveller, sometimes attending
to business for Hells Angels world HQ, based in Californias San
Fernando Valley. Often paying cash for his ticket, his itineraries
include the US, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia - half a
dozen trips a year.
His convictions need not stop such globetrotting. Judicious use of his
New Zealand and Australian passports makes travel possible without his
criminal history being identified.
Sissons story illustrates many aspects of organised crime in New
Zealand.
First and foremost is that gangs - motorcycle and ethnic, such as the
Mongrel Mob and Black Power - are at the heart of the illicit drug
market, particularly manufacture and distribution.
They have international connections and co-operate with other domestic
gangs, including increasingly active Asian groups. The main players
know each other. Christmas cards are exchanged. Its a small affluent
club. Many members have become rich from the trade.
Once caught, its another battle to strip them of the fruits of their
crimes, as Sissons story shows.
When he and his wife were arrested in 1999, seized along with their
3ha Dairy Flat property were two Harley Davidson motorcycles, a Holden
Executive Club Sport car, an Isuzu Bighorn, a truck, two jetskis and
"certain ostriches or interests therein in Canada".
At the trial, the Crown alleged Sisson - who has listed his occupation
as greenhouse builder and cabinetmaker - had unexplained income of
more than $250,000.
Yet under the deal finally reached, the Crown settled for half that: a
motorbike, the Bighorn plus $108,000 cash.
The deal was done by the time Thorne-George got out of jail in
December 2000, followed a year later by Sisson. They came out to the
rural block on which they have built a house, and presumably to the
Harley, the V8 Holden, the truck and jetskis, to say nothing of the
ostriches "or interests therein" up in Canada.
Operation Shovel was significant in that it provided direct evidence
of Hells Angels involvement in making methamphetamine, something
suspected since the early 1980s. Analysts believe the gang were among
the first to manufacture it here, having been taught by brother Hells
Angels in the United States.
Also instructive were the links Operation Shovel revealed. Seventeen
people were arrested or sought for questioning, among them
methamphetamine cook Tony Jacomb.
The operation revolved around police bugging Sissons house. Sisson
and Jacomb were the cooks, making the drug over several days at
Jacombs Albany address. Police listened as Sisson discussed progress
with his wife.
By trial time three patched Hells Angels and six associates were in
the dock.
Part-way through the case, the judge ordered the jury be locked away
in a hotel because of "information" he had become aware of. All were
acquitted except Sisson and Thorne-George, who were convicted of
conspiring to make the drug and of money laundering.
The jury said not guilty on charges of actual manufacture and supply,
a verdict which found the pair guilty of the before and after -
planning the operation and washing the proceeds - yet not guilty of
the middle crimes in the chain of tasks in the business of drugs.
Besides the buried loot and recipe, a search of Sisson and his wifes
rented house turned up another $18,000 cash and 49g of
methamphetamine, worth about $49,000.
There were other interesting items: brochures on counter-surveillance,
military-standard night vision equipment, photographs of police and a
restricted police document about the Bandidos plan to merge with New
Zealands Highway 61.
The Bandidos, along with the Hells Angels, are one of the worlds four
dominant motorcycle gangs but have yet to gain a presence here. The
prospect of their taking over a significant New Zealand gang such as
Highway 61 would pose a challenge to Hells Angels control here.
Another police document - a how-to guide on video interviewing
suspects - was found when police took a search warrant along to the
Hells Angels headquarters on a spacious section, behind a neat stone
wall, among the villas in leafy Mt Eden. The gangs president, Doug
Jay, had $19,500 in cash seized from him as a result of the raid.
Another house searched was that of Peter "Pedro" Cleven, who was a
senior member of the Head Hunters, a gang rated with the Angels in
organised crime. The reason for the police interest in Cleven was an
intercepted conversation in which Cleven and Sisson allegedly
discussed manufacturing methamphetamine.
This was 1997. Within a year P, a potent smokeable form of
methamphetamine, had flooded onto the market.
The conversation was an indication of what is now clear: gangs which
were once rivals are co-operating, having realised there is enough
money for all in the illicit drug market.
No methamphetamine was found at Clevens home but a recipe for the
drug, and a stun gun, were discovered.
The conversation, the recipe and Clevens Hollywood lifestyle resulted
in "Pedro" becoming the focus of a new inquiry. Listening devices were
placed in the kitchen of his Titirangi mansion, with its spa, sauna,
solar-heated swimming pool, tennis court, beach access, the ubiquitous
Harley Davidson and powerboat bearing the name "Seahunters".
Police waited for Cleven to arrive at the wheel of his Mercedes Benz
convertible before pressing the record button.
There were boasts of drug-dealing prowess: "Over the years, I used to
deal 100lb of dak [cannabis with street value today of $500,000] ...
And, Ill just tell you this to give you some idea - Ive done $1
million worth of this a year."
Clevens property was raided, his assets seized and his bank accounts
frozen.
He was accused of making a fortune from drugs but acquitted after two
controversial trials in 2002.
In the first, the jury couldnt reach a unanimous verdict. The second
jury was sequestered, guarded around the clock and locked away for 17
nights at a secret location.
Despite these investigations and charges, Cleven has only ever been
convicted of driving charges and two assaults - one of a female.
After his drugs trial, Cleven dismissed his talk of big-time drug
dealing as baseless boasts to impress a "sexy" woman, snorting sounds
caught on tape as hayfever, rather than drugs being inhaled, as was
alleged, and he said his wealth was hard-earned in enterprises such as
goat farming, property dealing and his Fort St peep-show, Three Wise
Men.
Cleven, however, made an interesting choice in having Michael Joseph
Cavanagh testify as to his good character. Cavanagh was unmasked
earlier this month as one of the biggest methamphetamine cooks yet
discovered. Hes to be sentenced next month for manufacturing and
supplying the drug.
His drug fortune is reckoned at $2 million, including a $330,000
house. Found in safety deposit boxes, a lock-up storage unit and
Cavanaghs home were neatly packaged bundles of banknotes, gold and
silver bars, jewellery, expensive watches, share certificates, bonus
bonds, thousands of dollars worth of pre-paid international debit
cards, cars and several motorcycles - including the ubiquitous Harley
Davidsons.
Enough chemicals and methamphetamine precursors were found to make $2
million of the drug.
Cavanagh said his wealth was due to his ability to spot opportunities
such as selling cellphones to Zimbabwe for fabulous profits, an
explanation rejected by the jury. It wouldnt have helped his argument
that when captured - after seven months on the run - he had $10,000
worth of methamphetamine.
Police described Cavanagh as a senior figure in the drug trade but, in
the wider context of organised crime, he is a bit player, valued by
the gangs as a willing, capable and prodigious methamphetamine cook.
Such people are prized by the gangs, says Darryl Brazier, a detective
sergeant who until recently ran Aucklands organised crime squad.
Cavanagh was under the wing of the Head Hunters, so it may be no great
surprise that Head Hunters Christmas cards - the sort companies send
to valued business associates - were found among his belongings. They
were from Cleven, signed "your pal Pedro".
"These guys are interlocked, they all know each other," says Brazier,
who has spent 11 years investigating organised crime. "There is a
small number of people who control the business.
"Ive run surveillance on Head Hunters and witnessed them being
visited by members of the Hells Angels and Black Power. Ive run ops
on Highway 61 and they have been visited by members of Black Power and
the Head Hunters. These are traditional rivals. They are visiting each
other for one reason - business."
Warring between the gangs is now as rare as it once was common.
Theyve come to realise the riches available from the drug trade and
are consequently more careful to avoid attention.
"In the 1980s there would be a gang confrontation every Friday,
usually between the ethnic gangs [Mongrel Mob and Black Power]. But
they have seen the outlaw motorcycle gangs get rich, their members
riding brand new Harleys, and the pennys dropped."
One of New Zealands most notorious criminals, bankrobber-turned-drug
dealer Waha Saifiti, summed it up, telling in a conversation
intercepted by police of how hed bumped into a policeman while doing
his banking. The policeman had asked whether Saifiti was casing the
bank. "I sell methamphetamines now," Saifiti said he told the
policeman. "It beats robbing banks, I tell ya." Saifiti is serving
nine years jail for his part in a Head Hunters meth ring.
Robberies are now mostly done by drug customers to pay for their
habit.
By Braziers reckoning, 90 per cent of drug crime is linked to
motorcycle gangs.
While many gangsters spend money as fast as they get it, some besides
Sisson and Cleven have accumulated impressive assets. Tribesman
vice-president Graham Nathan made the top three in money forfeited
under proceeds of crime law, the Government confiscating a total of
$654,000 of cash, four Harley Davidson motorbikes, four late-model
cars and a boat. A loaded pistol and $400,000 cash was found hidden at
a relatives pensioner flat during raids on his operation.
The biggest forfeiture is $1 million from chemist-turned
methamphetamine maker William John Wallace, whose drugs were
distributed by Highway 61.
He kept his money stuffed in carrier bags, biscuit tins and shoeboxes
and paid cash for real estate, a racing car and other expensive
vehicles. Almost $100,000 was spent on a stone fence for his Mt Albert
home.
When Head Hunter David OCarroll was busted, he was found with 27g
(worth $27,000) of the drug in a film canister between his buttocks.
Ammunition and $70,000 cash was found elsewhere. His money, he claimed
at his trial, came from such work as carpetlaying.
Other well-off gang members include Bruce Roberts, a former Hells
Angels president. He sold his house in Parnell for $900,000 in 2003
and paid $820,000 for a 3.4ha lifestyle property not far from Sissons
block, though Land Information New Zealand records a mortgage facility
of up to $750,000.
Some gang members have businesses which they say is the source of
their money. The police suspect many are fronts: financed with crime
money, they provide the appearance of legitimacy and a way of
laundering illicit cash.
According to Herald searches of land and companies registers, Head
Hunters boss Wayne Doyle has an interest in two Auckland properties
and apparent links to a tow truck company.
One of the wealthiest is former Highway 61 president Kelly Robertson,
who has a methamphetamine conviction. Police estimate his assets at $2
million, most in real estate, which will be waiting for him when he is
released from jail sometime next decade for killing fellow gang boss
Kevin Weavers.
Forfeiture procedures were begun against Robertson but abandoned. The
Herald has not been able to discover, officially, the reason but has
been told by a source it was due to an administrative error.
Just as companies seek to grow through takeovers and partnerships in
the legitimate business world so, too, do motorcycle gangs.
The Head Hunters are pushing north, adding a chapter based in
Wellsford to two in Auckland, and are recruiting aggressively, giving
patches mainly to people met in prison.
Hells Angels has taken over gangs in Hastings, Wanganui and Palmerston
North, and had considered working with South Island gang the Road
Knights in the 1990s before backing away. Noted attending the Road
Knights mystery bus pub crawl in 1996 were three Hells Angels
leaders, including the president of the time, Roberts, along with
several Head Hunters and members of the Filthy Few and Matamata gang
the Titans.
The Hells Angels are regarded as savvy and risk-averse, whereas the
Head Hunters are characterised by their propensity for violence. They
are consequently either respected or feared by other organised
criminal groups.
A fearsome reputation aids standover operations, a gang money-spinner
by which a cut of profits is demanded from independent crime groups
under threat of being shut down. It is also useful for "taxing" -
stealing assets from those who cross the gang.
The most powerful Head Hunter is Wayne Doyle, president of its east
chapter, headquartered in Ellerslies Marua Road, the location for
high school after-dance parties the gang hosted. He is a convicted
murderer and carries his fearsome reputation like a badge - along with
a personalised Head Hunters card which reads: "You have just met
Wayne".
In this world, pumping iron is common. Doyle recently won a national
bench press title, setting a masters division record. The glory was
short-lived, however. He refused to give a urine sample - raising the
possibility of steroid abuse - and has been banned for two years by
the NZ Powerlifting Federation. But not without some nervousness.
"Some people in the federation were in fear of their lives," a sports
source said.
Such set-backs are unlikely to faze Doyle. He told a detective who
policed gangs that scrutiny was welcome: "You make the strong stronger
and the weak **** off, and thats good for the club."
Prison is seen as an occupational hazard - a chance to network. The
smart ones know they have ways, means and assets awaiting them on
release.
Sisson, for example.
A recent photograph shows the Hells Angel astride a gleaming V-Rod
Harley Davidson. It has a $38,000 price tag and is the fastest of the
Harley Davidson family.
Perfect for those who like to make a statement.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10120987
industry in New Zealand. This second part focuses on the gangs
involved.
As the time neared for his release from Paremoremo prison, Andrew
Sisson could content himself with the knowledge that waiting for him
was his lifestyle property on the fringe of Riverhead forest.
The same property where in 1997 $97,000 cash was found buried in one
spot while a recipe for methamphetamine was hidden in another.
The same property that was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act
after Sisson and his wife, Vikki Thorne-George, were found guilty in
1999 of conspiring to supply methamphetamine and of money laundering.
The same property bought in Thorne-Georges name in 1993, months
before Sisson was convicted for importing $200,000 of methamphetamines
hidden inside a vehicle transmission.
Sisson, big, strong and macho, is a rarity: a big fish Hells Angels
motorcycle gang member who got caught.
Hells Angels is rated the most influential organised crime group in
New Zealand, and also the hardest to catch. With members who are older
and wiser than their counterparts in other gangs, Hells Angels are
risk-averse, seldom adding new patched members.
"Ses", as Sisson is known, became a patched member in 1982 and is the
gangs sergeant-at-arms, responsible for rules and discipline.
One-time Hells Angels world secretary, he is trusted internationally,
particularly in the United States. Sisson, like many of his
colleagues, is a regular international traveller, sometimes attending
to business for Hells Angels world HQ, based in Californias San
Fernando Valley. Often paying cash for his ticket, his itineraries
include the US, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia - half a
dozen trips a year.
His convictions need not stop such globetrotting. Judicious use of his
New Zealand and Australian passports makes travel possible without his
criminal history being identified.
Sissons story illustrates many aspects of organised crime in New
Zealand.
First and foremost is that gangs - motorcycle and ethnic, such as the
Mongrel Mob and Black Power - are at the heart of the illicit drug
market, particularly manufacture and distribution.
They have international connections and co-operate with other domestic
gangs, including increasingly active Asian groups. The main players
know each other. Christmas cards are exchanged. Its a small affluent
club. Many members have become rich from the trade.
Once caught, its another battle to strip them of the fruits of their
crimes, as Sissons story shows.
When he and his wife were arrested in 1999, seized along with their
3ha Dairy Flat property were two Harley Davidson motorcycles, a Holden
Executive Club Sport car, an Isuzu Bighorn, a truck, two jetskis and
"certain ostriches or interests therein in Canada".
At the trial, the Crown alleged Sisson - who has listed his occupation
as greenhouse builder and cabinetmaker - had unexplained income of
more than $250,000.
Yet under the deal finally reached, the Crown settled for half that: a
motorbike, the Bighorn plus $108,000 cash.
The deal was done by the time Thorne-George got out of jail in
December 2000, followed a year later by Sisson. They came out to the
rural block on which they have built a house, and presumably to the
Harley, the V8 Holden, the truck and jetskis, to say nothing of the
ostriches "or interests therein" up in Canada.
Operation Shovel was significant in that it provided direct evidence
of Hells Angels involvement in making methamphetamine, something
suspected since the early 1980s. Analysts believe the gang were among
the first to manufacture it here, having been taught by brother Hells
Angels in the United States.
Also instructive were the links Operation Shovel revealed. Seventeen
people were arrested or sought for questioning, among them
methamphetamine cook Tony Jacomb.
The operation revolved around police bugging Sissons house. Sisson
and Jacomb were the cooks, making the drug over several days at
Jacombs Albany address. Police listened as Sisson discussed progress
with his wife.
By trial time three patched Hells Angels and six associates were in
the dock.
Part-way through the case, the judge ordered the jury be locked away
in a hotel because of "information" he had become aware of. All were
acquitted except Sisson and Thorne-George, who were convicted of
conspiring to make the drug and of money laundering.
The jury said not guilty on charges of actual manufacture and supply,
a verdict which found the pair guilty of the before and after -
planning the operation and washing the proceeds - yet not guilty of
the middle crimes in the chain of tasks in the business of drugs.
Besides the buried loot and recipe, a search of Sisson and his wifes
rented house turned up another $18,000 cash and 49g of
methamphetamine, worth about $49,000.
There were other interesting items: brochures on counter-surveillance,
military-standard night vision equipment, photographs of police and a
restricted police document about the Bandidos plan to merge with New
Zealands Highway 61.
The Bandidos, along with the Hells Angels, are one of the worlds four
dominant motorcycle gangs but have yet to gain a presence here. The
prospect of their taking over a significant New Zealand gang such as
Highway 61 would pose a challenge to Hells Angels control here.
Another police document - a how-to guide on video interviewing
suspects - was found when police took a search warrant along to the
Hells Angels headquarters on a spacious section, behind a neat stone
wall, among the villas in leafy Mt Eden. The gangs president, Doug
Jay, had $19,500 in cash seized from him as a result of the raid.
Another house searched was that of Peter "Pedro" Cleven, who was a
senior member of the Head Hunters, a gang rated with the Angels in
organised crime. The reason for the police interest in Cleven was an
intercepted conversation in which Cleven and Sisson allegedly
discussed manufacturing methamphetamine.
This was 1997. Within a year P, a potent smokeable form of
methamphetamine, had flooded onto the market.
The conversation was an indication of what is now clear: gangs which
were once rivals are co-operating, having realised there is enough
money for all in the illicit drug market.
No methamphetamine was found at Clevens home but a recipe for the
drug, and a stun gun, were discovered.
The conversation, the recipe and Clevens Hollywood lifestyle resulted
in "Pedro" becoming the focus of a new inquiry. Listening devices were
placed in the kitchen of his Titirangi mansion, with its spa, sauna,
solar-heated swimming pool, tennis court, beach access, the ubiquitous
Harley Davidson and powerboat bearing the name "Seahunters".
Police waited for Cleven to arrive at the wheel of his Mercedes Benz
convertible before pressing the record button.
There were boasts of drug-dealing prowess: "Over the years, I used to
deal 100lb of dak [cannabis with street value today of $500,000] ...
And, Ill just tell you this to give you some idea - Ive done $1
million worth of this a year."
Clevens property was raided, his assets seized and his bank accounts
frozen.
He was accused of making a fortune from drugs but acquitted after two
controversial trials in 2002.
In the first, the jury couldnt reach a unanimous verdict. The second
jury was sequestered, guarded around the clock and locked away for 17
nights at a secret location.
Despite these investigations and charges, Cleven has only ever been
convicted of driving charges and two assaults - one of a female.
After his drugs trial, Cleven dismissed his talk of big-time drug
dealing as baseless boasts to impress a "sexy" woman, snorting sounds
caught on tape as hayfever, rather than drugs being inhaled, as was
alleged, and he said his wealth was hard-earned in enterprises such as
goat farming, property dealing and his Fort St peep-show, Three Wise
Men.
Cleven, however, made an interesting choice in having Michael Joseph
Cavanagh testify as to his good character. Cavanagh was unmasked
earlier this month as one of the biggest methamphetamine cooks yet
discovered. Hes to be sentenced next month for manufacturing and
supplying the drug.
His drug fortune is reckoned at $2 million, including a $330,000
house. Found in safety deposit boxes, a lock-up storage unit and
Cavanaghs home were neatly packaged bundles of banknotes, gold and
silver bars, jewellery, expensive watches, share certificates, bonus
bonds, thousands of dollars worth of pre-paid international debit
cards, cars and several motorcycles - including the ubiquitous Harley
Davidsons.
Enough chemicals and methamphetamine precursors were found to make $2
million of the drug.
Cavanagh said his wealth was due to his ability to spot opportunities
such as selling cellphones to Zimbabwe for fabulous profits, an
explanation rejected by the jury. It wouldnt have helped his argument
that when captured - after seven months on the run - he had $10,000
worth of methamphetamine.
Police described Cavanagh as a senior figure in the drug trade but, in
the wider context of organised crime, he is a bit player, valued by
the gangs as a willing, capable and prodigious methamphetamine cook.
Such people are prized by the gangs, says Darryl Brazier, a detective
sergeant who until recently ran Aucklands organised crime squad.
Cavanagh was under the wing of the Head Hunters, so it may be no great
surprise that Head Hunters Christmas cards - the sort companies send
to valued business associates - were found among his belongings. They
were from Cleven, signed "your pal Pedro".
"These guys are interlocked, they all know each other," says Brazier,
who has spent 11 years investigating organised crime. "There is a
small number of people who control the business.
"Ive run surveillance on Head Hunters and witnessed them being
visited by members of the Hells Angels and Black Power. Ive run ops
on Highway 61 and they have been visited by members of Black Power and
the Head Hunters. These are traditional rivals. They are visiting each
other for one reason - business."
Warring between the gangs is now as rare as it once was common.
Theyve come to realise the riches available from the drug trade and
are consequently more careful to avoid attention.
"In the 1980s there would be a gang confrontation every Friday,
usually between the ethnic gangs [Mongrel Mob and Black Power]. But
they have seen the outlaw motorcycle gangs get rich, their members
riding brand new Harleys, and the pennys dropped."
One of New Zealands most notorious criminals, bankrobber-turned-drug
dealer Waha Saifiti, summed it up, telling in a conversation
intercepted by police of how hed bumped into a policeman while doing
his banking. The policeman had asked whether Saifiti was casing the
bank. "I sell methamphetamines now," Saifiti said he told the
policeman. "It beats robbing banks, I tell ya." Saifiti is serving
nine years jail for his part in a Head Hunters meth ring.
Robberies are now mostly done by drug customers to pay for their
habit.
By Braziers reckoning, 90 per cent of drug crime is linked to
motorcycle gangs.
While many gangsters spend money as fast as they get it, some besides
Sisson and Cleven have accumulated impressive assets. Tribesman
vice-president Graham Nathan made the top three in money forfeited
under proceeds of crime law, the Government confiscating a total of
$654,000 of cash, four Harley Davidson motorbikes, four late-model
cars and a boat. A loaded pistol and $400,000 cash was found hidden at
a relatives pensioner flat during raids on his operation.
The biggest forfeiture is $1 million from chemist-turned
methamphetamine maker William John Wallace, whose drugs were
distributed by Highway 61.
He kept his money stuffed in carrier bags, biscuit tins and shoeboxes
and paid cash for real estate, a racing car and other expensive
vehicles. Almost $100,000 was spent on a stone fence for his Mt Albert
home.
When Head Hunter David OCarroll was busted, he was found with 27g
(worth $27,000) of the drug in a film canister between his buttocks.
Ammunition and $70,000 cash was found elsewhere. His money, he claimed
at his trial, came from such work as carpetlaying.
Other well-off gang members include Bruce Roberts, a former Hells
Angels president. He sold his house in Parnell for $900,000 in 2003
and paid $820,000 for a 3.4ha lifestyle property not far from Sissons
block, though Land Information New Zealand records a mortgage facility
of up to $750,000.
Some gang members have businesses which they say is the source of
their money. The police suspect many are fronts: financed with crime
money, they provide the appearance of legitimacy and a way of
laundering illicit cash.
According to Herald searches of land and companies registers, Head
Hunters boss Wayne Doyle has an interest in two Auckland properties
and apparent links to a tow truck company.
One of the wealthiest is former Highway 61 president Kelly Robertson,
who has a methamphetamine conviction. Police estimate his assets at $2
million, most in real estate, which will be waiting for him when he is
released from jail sometime next decade for killing fellow gang boss
Kevin Weavers.
Forfeiture procedures were begun against Robertson but abandoned. The
Herald has not been able to discover, officially, the reason but has
been told by a source it was due to an administrative error.
Just as companies seek to grow through takeovers and partnerships in
the legitimate business world so, too, do motorcycle gangs.
The Head Hunters are pushing north, adding a chapter based in
Wellsford to two in Auckland, and are recruiting aggressively, giving
patches mainly to people met in prison.
Hells Angels has taken over gangs in Hastings, Wanganui and Palmerston
North, and had considered working with South Island gang the Road
Knights in the 1990s before backing away. Noted attending the Road
Knights mystery bus pub crawl in 1996 were three Hells Angels
leaders, including the president of the time, Roberts, along with
several Head Hunters and members of the Filthy Few and Matamata gang
the Titans.
The Hells Angels are regarded as savvy and risk-averse, whereas the
Head Hunters are characterised by their propensity for violence. They
are consequently either respected or feared by other organised
criminal groups.
A fearsome reputation aids standover operations, a gang money-spinner
by which a cut of profits is demanded from independent crime groups
under threat of being shut down. It is also useful for "taxing" -
stealing assets from those who cross the gang.
The most powerful Head Hunter is Wayne Doyle, president of its east
chapter, headquartered in Ellerslies Marua Road, the location for
high school after-dance parties the gang hosted. He is a convicted
murderer and carries his fearsome reputation like a badge - along with
a personalised Head Hunters card which reads: "You have just met
Wayne".
In this world, pumping iron is common. Doyle recently won a national
bench press title, setting a masters division record. The glory was
short-lived, however. He refused to give a urine sample - raising the
possibility of steroid abuse - and has been banned for two years by
the NZ Powerlifting Federation. But not without some nervousness.
"Some people in the federation were in fear of their lives," a sports
source said.
Such set-backs are unlikely to faze Doyle. He told a detective who
policed gangs that scrutiny was welcome: "You make the strong stronger
and the weak **** off, and thats good for the club."
Prison is seen as an occupational hazard - a chance to network. The
smart ones know they have ways, means and assets awaiting them on
release.
Sisson, for example.
A recent photograph shows the Hells Angel astride a gleaming V-Rod
Harley Davidson. It has a $38,000 price tag and is the fastest of the
Harley Davidson family.
Perfect for those who like to make a statement.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10120987