ISO A FINE TIME FOR BIKIES
BIKIES were Covid-19 superspreaders during lockdowns, as they sourced fake medical certificates to escape vaccination mandates and continue their drug operations.
It can be revealed outlaw motorcycle gangs showed no regard to public health rules and were aided by either easily fooled or corrupted doctors.
Up to a dozen accountants are also accused of aiding bikies move drug money around, using cryptocurrency to launder billions in cash.
“During the height of the crisis, organised crime was spreading the disease around Sydney more than anything,” NSW Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith told the Bikies Inc podcast.
“And with the assistance of doctors – professional facilitators – obviously they were creating false documents or legitimate false documents to enable them to travel overseas and move about society,” Mr Smith said.
“I don’t know that any of them have been vaccinated.”
His comments come as the mother of an alleged member of a Sydney crime family was arrested over claims she used a fake vaccination certificate to work at a primary school.
Jeanette Catherine Jeske, whose son is allegedly a member of the Alameddine crime clan, was arrested at her home in Merrylands in July.
Aside from the matter with which she has been charged, there is no suggestion that Mrs Jeske has engaged in any wrongdoing.
The Alameddines have been linked to the Comanchero bikie gang.
Mr Smith also revealed how bikies were using cryptocurrency to launder their cash and how up to a dozen accountants were facing charges for helping gangs.
“The more recent one is cryptocurrency. Independent reserve indicates about $100bn moving through the cryptocurrency world, and organised crime is looking very closely at it, and we’ve already started operations around dealing with the fact that they’re laundering money in crypto,” he said.
Criminals laundered more than $12bn across the globe in 2021, up 30 per cent on the previous year, according to a report from Chainalysis.
And bikies have been exploiting the new currency exchanges because launderers charge fees of only 4 per cent, much less than traditional cash washing schemes.
“The world of crypto is quite difficult. You know, a couple of years ago, if you said policing had to be on the internet, we would have laughed at you,” Mr Smith said.
“But, unfortunately, cyberenabled crime has now required us to train specialised people.
“And we’re certainly looking closely at how they clean it and the dark web site underneath the internet.”
He said cryptocurrency had “sparked the interest of outlaw motorcycle gangs.”
Maserati-driving home delivery drug dealer Cody Ronald Ward was among those using cryptocurrency.
Ward was convicted in May 2021 of running a $17m drug empire from a holiday house at Callala Beach, south of Sydney.
It is believed much of his money was siphoned into cryptocurrency, which police are trying to track down.
Ward was approached by Hells Angels bikies when he was imprisoned.
“We were aware he’d thrown himself in with outlaw motorcycle gangs and obviously he’s now in jail. The first thing they did was check up on him when he went into jail,” Mr Smith said.
Ward claimed in court the bikies had tried to extort him while inside and claimed he did not have an association.