Comanchero gang accused in court after raids across Auckland

Thursday, 11 April 2019

Police seized $3.7 million of goods and arrested senior members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Gang in Auckland after a year-long investigation.

Men charged with money laundering have appeared in court after massive raids targeting alleged members of the Comanchero motorcycle group.

One 30 year-old man at Auckland District Court faced five charges, including being a member of an organised criminal group.

The other four charges he faced related to money laundering.

Senior members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Gang have been arrested in Auckland, police said.

Police alleged the man laundered over a million dollars of illegal cash and bought high-end luxury cars including two Range Rovers and a Mercedes.

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Another man, 24, was also accused of money laundering. Those charges related to another Range Rover, worth $135,000 and a Bucklands Beach property.

The property was bought for $680,000.

Another two accused men have appeared in court on Thursday evening and were also granted interim name suppression.

Judge Ajit Singh gave no reasons for the interim name suppression order.

One of those who appeared late on Thursday was a 28 year-old accused of possessing firearms and ammunition, including a pump action shotgun and pistol.

He also faced a charge of conspiring to supply pseudoephedrine, which can be used as key ingredient of methamphetamine.

The other was a 32 year-old accused of money laundering - including the sale of the Bucklands Beach property - and conspiring to supply pseudoephedrine.

Those men are due back in court next week for a bail hearing.

Multiple arrests were made earlier on Thursday after police raided 10 Auckland properties and seized nearly $4 million of good.

Earlier, more than 80 police, including members of the Armed Offenders Squad and dog squad executed the search warrants and arrested alleged Comanchero members and associates.

Police claimed the Sinaloa Cartel, which Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman once led - was also involved with the Comanchero.

COMANCHERO FACTS

- The Comanchero Motorcycle Club was formed by Scottish immigrant William George 'Jock' Ross in Sydney in 1968.

- Ross chose the name after seeing John Wayne film The Comancheros.

- In 1982 Anthony Mark 'Snoddy' Spencer formed a second chapter. When visiting the United States, 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.

- The Comanchero and Bandidos are now rivals and in 1984, the two clubs were involved in the Milperra massacre in Sydney, a shoot-out which left seven people dead, including four Comancheros, two Bandidos, and a 14-year-old bystander.