Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee
The Attero National Task Force has stepped up its investigation of the Rebels motorcycle gang, with hundreds of members and associates now having their tax affairs scrutinized.
The Task Force was established to disrupt, disable and dismantle the criminal activity of the Rebels’ business model.
The Task Force, which includes all State and Territory law enforcement agencies, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, Australian Tax Office (ATO), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), has achieved:
- more than $1.4 million in tax collections from 82 individuals and entities associated with the Rebels
- 117 Rebels members with outstanding tax returns subjected to lodgement compliance action, with over 30 cases referred for prosecution action
- more than 280 members or businesses associated with Rebels members have been identified as having tax debts ranging from $1000 to $1.93 million. All of these cases have been subject to debt collection action.
Attero National Task Force Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent John De Candia said the work of the ATO, ASIC and AUSTRAC complemented the more traditional law enforcement methods being used by the other Task Force agencies.
“As money is the lifeblood of organised crime, we are also looking at non-traditional ways of disrupting the Rebels’ business model by understanding their money flow and ensuring they comply with their tax obligations just like every other Australian is expected to do,” Detective Superintendent De Candia said.
“Suspicious income of known criminals can be targeted by the Task Force through the tax system when it inevitably reappears in the legitimate economy.”
The Rebels have chapters in each state and territory and overseas.
To date the Attero National Task Force has:
- Arrested/reported more than 500 people;
- Laid more than 700 charges ranging from violence related offences including serious assault, stalking, kidnapping and affray to a range of firearms and weapons offences, drug offences, property, street and traffic offences;
- Searched more than 300 premises;
- Seized over 40 firearms, as well as other weapons including knuckle dusters, tasers, a set of throwing stars, machetes, illegal knives and batons; and
- Seized drugs including amphetamines, cannabis, ecstasy and steroids.
