Comanchero Motorcycle Club

The Comanchero Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle gang in Australia, with chapters in Strathfield.[5]

Comanchero Motorcycle Club
Founded1968 (1968)[1] or 1973[2]
LocationSydney, Australia
FounderWilliam George "Jock" Ross[1]
TypeOutlaw motorcycle club
RegionNew South Wales, Victoria, Auckland, Sarajevo, Spain, USA, Thailand[3]
Membership80-100 (2009 est.)[4]

The Comancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which convened a conference in 2009 to address legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, their poor public image in the wake of several violent clashes and ongoing biker wars, and defusing deadly feuds such as the Comancheros' battles with the Hells Angels.[6][7] The sincerity of these efforts to defend the battered image of the clubs has been met with skepticism.[8]

History

William George "Jock" Ross, a Scottish immigrant, formed the club in Sydney, New South Wales in 1968.[1] He chose the name after seeing the 1961 John Wayne film The Comancheros. (However, there already existed a Californian motorcycle club of the same name, first mentioned in a 1965 article by Hunter S. Thompson, and in his book "Hell's Angels" a year later.[2][9])

In late 1982 a second Comanchero chapter was formed by Anthony Mark "Snoddy" Spencer, who had broken away from the first chapter after challenging Ross' authority. When visiting the United States with Charles Paul "Charlie" Scibberas, another member of the second chapter, Spencer met with members of the Texan motorcycle club, the Bandidos and the two gangs became allies. The Bandidos eventually patched-over the second Comanchero chapter to become the Bandidos' first Australian chapter.[10]

The Comancheros and Bandidos were now rivals, and in September 1984 the two clubs were involved in the Milperra massacre, a shoot-out which left seven people dead, including four Comancheros, two Bandidos, and a 14-year-old bystander.[11] Jock Ross received a lifetime jail-sentence for his involvement in the Milperra massacre[1] but only served five years and three months before he was released.

The Comancheros and Hells Angels became involved in a clash at Sydney Airport on 22 March 2009. Terminal 3 was the scene of a brawl involving 10 people in the two rival bikie gangs. The brawl left one man, Anthony Zervas, dead. The fighting was witnessed by over 50 travellers, CCTV cameras and airport staff, including airport security, who could do little to intervene. The security staff were unarmed and Australian Federal Police arrived late.[12]

Six Comancheros were arrested as a result of the altercation and convicted of "riot and affray".[13] In November 2011 Comancheros leader Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi was found guilty of affray and murder,[14] but in May 2014 the murder conviction was overturned on appeal and a retrial ordered. Hawi pleaded guilty to manslaughter and in March 2015 he was sentenced to a minimum of 3.5 years jail.[15][16][17] In February 2018 Hawi was shot dead, at age 37, whilst sitting in his car outside a gym in Rockdale, NSW.[18]

In late 2009 Duax Ngakuru was elected as national president. Four years later Mick Murray was elected.[7][19][20]

Perth chapter

The Comancheros established a single Western Australian chapter in 2010 which is located on Wellman Street, Northbridge, at the Fitness and Fight Centre.[21]

The Comanchero expansion into Western Australia was delayed by the 2010 arrest of Steve Milenkovski who was about to be patched as the Perth's Chapter president when he was arrested in the culmination of Operation Baystone.[22] Operation Baystone resulted in Milenkovski, Yavuz Ozan, Hao Bi, and Mark Vick Kitos being charged with various drug offences. The operation seized 7.5 kilograms of methylamphetamine imported into Western Australia from New South Wales.[23]

In August 2012 Milenkovski was found guilty of two counts of Possess a Prohibited Drug with Intent to Sell or Supply after a 9-week Perth District Court trial and sentenced to 17 years jail as the "king pin". Two of his co-accused, were convicted of one charge each of attempted possession including David Tanevski who was sentenced to eight years' jail. Hao Bi, who was alleged to have been the courier was acquitted.[24][25]

In May 2014 eight men including two patched members of the Comanchero were charged for allegedly extorting businesses in Northbridge.[26]

Infighting

On 5 September 2012, Comanchero member Faalau Pisu was murdered, being shot in the head outside the Serbian National Defence Council at Canley Vale, New South Wales whilst attending a wedding. A 25-year-old gang member and a 27-year-old associate of the club were also shot and injured.[27] NSW Police allege that an internal rift within the Comancheros was behind recent shootings involving Comanchero members.[28]

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gollark: WHAT error? I CAN'T EVEN TELL WHAT IT IS!
gollark: #include <stdio.h>printf("Hello, WOrldasd\n");return 4;
gollark: !interpret why
gollark: Oops.

See also

References
  1. McDougall, Bruce (23 March 2009), "Warring bikie gangs revive infamous Milperra Massacre", The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 17 January 2010
  2. Veno, Arthur (2004). The Brotherhoods. Allen & Unwin. p. 168. ISBN 1-74114-137-0. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. "The Comancheros motorcycle gang are rolling west into Victoria". Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  4. Australia’s most dangerous biker gangs 23 April 2009 Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, ralph.ninemsn.com.au; accessed 1 September 2015.
  5. Gibbs, Stephen (22 April 2006). "Now the streets go to Hell". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  6. "Conference bikies converge on Brisbane", Brisbane Times, 7 August 2009
  7. Welch, Dylan; Dart, Jonathan (7 August 2009). "Secret list of bikie club members accidentally sent to rival gang". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. Kent, Paul (7 August 2009), "Ferreting out the truth on outlaw bikie gangs", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 6 March 2016
  9. Thompson, Hunter S. "The Motorcycle Gangs - The Nation". Retrieved 24 August 2018 – via www.thenation.com.
  10. Kent, Paul (28 March 2009). The gang wars explained - 40 years of bikie hatred. Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  11. Brown, Malcolm (22 April 2006). "Heavy price of loyalty". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  12. Dylan Welch, Les Kennedy and Ellie Harvey (23 March 2009). "Bikie killed in Sydney Airport brawl". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  13. Davies, Lisa (2 November 2011). "Comanchero Club boss Mick Hawi found guilty of airport murder". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  14. Wells, Jamelle (court reporter) (2 November 2011). "Bikie boss guilty of murder over airport brawl". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 March 2017. The jury was told: Anthony Zervas suffered massive head injuries and stab wounds as he was attacked with metal bollards, kicked, punched and stomped on as he lay on the ground
  15. R v Hawi (2015), austlii.edu.au; accessed 6 March 2016.
  16. Wells, Jamelle; Hoerr, Karl (13 March 2015). "Ex-bikie boss sentenced to jail over fatal Sydney Airport brawl". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  17. Arup, Tom (30 March 2009). "Police response to airport brawl in spotlight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  18. "'Not good for business': Former Comancheros chief Mahmoud Hawi gunned down in gym car park". ABC News. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  19. "Green stops Jones in first round". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  20. "Bikie court bungle 'put lives at risk'", ABC News, 7 August 2009, retrieved 16 December 2015
  21. Bikies fly in for club celebration, au.news.yahoo.com; accessed 1 September 2015.
  22. Halting steps mark bikie battle, au.news.yahoo.com; accessed 1 September 2015.
  23. "Comanchero president in drug bust". The Australian. 26 February 2010.
  24. Three men guilty of drugs charges, ABC.net.au; accessed 1 September 2015.
  25. Brown, Anne-Louise (14 September 2012), "Head bikie gets 17 years for drug haul", watoday.com.au, retrieved 1 September 2015
  26. WAHLQUIST, Calla (23 May 2014), "Three men linked to the Comancheros charged with extortion", perthnow.com.au, archived from the original on 27 May 2014, retrieved 1 September 2015
  27. Morello, Vincent (5 November 2012), "Comanchero bikie shot dead at wedding", The West Australian, retrieved 1 September 2015
  28. "Comanchero rift may be behind Sydney shooting", The West Australian, 8 November 2012, retrieved 1 September 2015
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