Victoria Police has arrested 14 people and seized a firearm, over $100K cash, gold bullion and almost a tonne of illicit tobacco as part of a national operation this week targeting the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG).
In Victoria, the operation focused particularly on the link between OMCGs and their links to the illicit tobacco trade and other associated criminality.
On Thursday, 28 November detectives from the Echo Taskforce, Illicit Firearms Squad and VIPER Taskforce conducted seven Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) searches on people linked to the Comancheros OMCG in Mount Waverley, Berwick, Craigieburn, Fraser Rise, Hillside, Corio and Tarneit.
A 32-year-old Mount Waverley man was arrested and subsequently charged with traffick commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, traffick cannabis, traffick ketamine and traffick cocaine. He was also charged with possessing over 150 Zanax tablets and possessing the proceeds of crime.
The man faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and was remanded to appear on 29 November.
Various drugs including cannabis, methylamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and prescription medication were seized from his Mount Waverley address, along with a large quantity of cash.
A 28-year-old Craigieburn man was charged with possess imitation firearm and bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on 7 April, 2025.
An imitation firearm was located hidden in the man’s Craigieburn property and subsequently seized.
Police from the VIPER Taskforce have also executed a series of warrants at tobacco stores across metro and regional Victoria over the past eight days, leading up to the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Day of Action.
Warrants were executed at 12 stores with established links to organised crime syndicates, including OMCGs, across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
In total, investigators seized approximately half a million illicit cigarettes worth $500,000 (or $1.36M in lost excise), approximately one tonne of loose tobacco worth over $216,000 (or $2.72 in lost excise), approximately 2000 vapes worth over $120,000, at least $100,000 in cash, $70,000 in gold bars and two ASP batons.
On Thursday, 21 November, VIPER searched stores in Wendouree, Ballan, Sebastopol and Ballarat, charging:
- A 60-year-old Wendouree woman, a 22-year-old Dallas man, a 56-year-old Bacchus Marsh woman and 56-year-old Ballarat woman with two counts of possess tobacco with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth, supply vapes and possess schedule 4 poison.
All four were bailed to appear at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on 20 January.
On Friday, 22 November, investigators searched stores in Norlane, Drysdale and Castlemaine, subsequently charging:
- A 43-year-old man from Point Cook with two counts of possess tobacco with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth, supply vapes and possess schedule 4 poison. He was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 5 February.
- A 24-year-old Tarneit man with possess tobacco and possess tobacco with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth. He was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 5 February.
- A 69-year-old Clifton Springs woman with possess tobacco and possess tobacco with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth. She was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 5 February.
On Tuesday, 26 November, warrants were executed at stores in Bacchus Marsh and Fitzroy.
- A 62-year-old woman from Melton South was charged with two counts of possess tobacco with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth. She was bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on 5 March.
- A 24-year-old Coburg man is expected to be charged on summons in relation to possession and sale of illegal tobacco, vapes, possessing proceeds of crime and possession of a prohibited weapon.
On Wednesday, 27 November, two stores in West Melbourne and one in Windsor were searched.
- Three people, a 44-year-old Truganina man, a 40-year-old St Kilda East man and 27-year-old man from Melbourne are all expected to be charged on summons with offences including possession and sale of illicit tobacco, vapes, possess proceeds of crime and possession of prohibited weapons.
As part of the national operation this week, police across the country have:
- Made 33 arrests,
- Laid 75 charges,
- Executed 26 search warrants and conducted 18 Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) compliance searches and
- Seized almost $500,00 in cash, $70,000 worth of gold bullion, 930kg of tobacco, a firearm, various drugs of dependence and multiple weapons.
Focussing on enhanced national coordination and collaboration, national Taskforce Morpheus is a joint initiative through which all Australian state and territory police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Defence Force, Australian Taxation Office, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, Services Australia and New Zealand Police collaboratively target the highest threat outlaw motorcycle gangs impacting Australia.
Alongside their propensity for violence and established transnational and serious and organised crime networks, OMCG members have a significant footprint in a range of organised criminal activities including illicit drug production and distribution, firearms trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion and more recently, infiltrating the illicit tobacco market. OMCGs are ranked as the largest serious and organised crime cohort impacting Australia and New Zealand.
The day of action took place on Thursday, 28 November with many states also undertaking further operational activity throughout the week.
Police zeroed in on drugs, firearms, Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) compliance searches and service, weapons and explosives, with each state and territory proactively targeting their own highest priority issues, with concentrated disruption, enforcement and compliance activity undertaken.
Leveraging shared capability and technology, national Taskforce Morpheus also targets criminal assets and unexplained wealth of key OMCG members, protects vulnerable people and develops national strategies to deter gang recruitment, reduce membership and target recidivism and enablers to organised crime.
Commencing in September 2014, national Taskforce Morpheus is a working group established under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. The taskforce connects commonwealth, state and territory law enforcement agencies to provide a nationally coordinated response to high threat outlaw motorcycle gangs operating across domestic and international borders.
Anyone with information about OMCG activity about is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at
Quotes attributable to Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly, Chair of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Taskforce Morpheus:
“Taskforce Morpheus has been a very successful national and international operation over the last decade. This includes multiple operations conducted that have seen Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) members arrested, charged and held to account via the criminal justice system.
“Law enforcement and partner government agencies will continue to use our full range of shared capabilities to proactively target OMCGs, across Australia, New Zealand and internationally. This will be done at every opportunity and we will be relentless in pursuing OMCGs. ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Taskforce Morpheus will not stop disrupting and holding OMCGs to account for their criminal actions.
“OMCG academic research highlights the social and economic impact of outlaw motorcycle gangs on our communities here in Australia and New Zealand as being significant. OMCGs are motivated by profit and greed. Law enforcement agencies know that they have a culture of secrecy, that includes intimidation and propensity for extreme violence, often conducted in public places that impacts the safety of the community.”
