Police from Taskforce Maxima, Organised Crime Gangs Group have charged 11 people on 60 charges after search warrants were executed on the Sunshine Coast targeting drug trafficking and weapon offences by outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) members and their associates.
The arrests were made as part of Operation Sierra Lilac, following 14 search warrants being executed on properties across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie from September 17 – 20, with assistance from Australian Border Force.
During the searches, three firearms (two pistols and one sawn off shot gun) were seized along with quantities of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, ice, cannabis, steroids and pharmaceutical drugs. Detectives also located approximately $30,000 cash.
Those arrested include a 26-year-old man from Little Mountain, an alleged associate of the Rebels OMCG, charged with 21 offences including one count of producing dangerous drugs, 15 counts of possessing dangerous drugs and one count of unlawfully possessing a weapon. He is due to appear Caloundra Magistrates court on November 25.
A 35-year-old Curra man was charged with 10 counts of weapon offences and two counts of possession of dangerous drugs, due to appear in the Gympie Magistrates on December 7.
During the search of a Rosemont property, police located an illegal snake (boa constrictor), charging a 64-year-old Rosemont man, the alleged president of the Rebels Sunshine Coast chapter, with breaches of the Biosecurity Act. He was charged with one count of dealing with prohibited matters, due to appear in the Nambour Magistrates Court on November 2. The snake was removed with the assistance of Biosecurity Queensland.
Detective Inspector Tim Leadbetter from the Organised Crime Gangs Group said Maxima detectives would continue working with regional police to target the unlawful activities of criminal gangs and their networks.
“We will continue taking a proactive, intelligence-led policing approach and conduct operations wherever OMCGS are in the state to make our communities safer,” Detective Inspector Leadbetter said.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
