OVER 30 outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) members and high level transnational organised crime entities have either been refused entry or detained upon arrival in Fiji and Tonga in recent years.
This was confirmed to this newspaper by an Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson after a recent report on transnational crime highlighted Fiji’s vulnerabilities in this area, as OMCGs operating out of Australia sought to widen their circle of influence in the region.
Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua also told this newspaper they recently stopped one of these “bikies” from coming in.
“We’ve had one from New Zealand and we stopped them from coming,” he said.
“We got notified by INTERPOL, and we stopped this guy, (for him) not to come. In fact, he was partly Fijian, so he wanted to come, and we stopped him because he was related to some other activities, crime, for drugs, which he did time for in New Zealand.”
Mr Tikoduadua said external agencies usually supplied the names of people who were on the radar for any criminal links or activity.
“We have a list of people who we look out for. So if their name comes through the passenger information, we have to check whether it’s the same guy or not.
“If we know it’s the same guy, we say, no, please don’t come.
“If we do get advanced information, and we usually do, we will stop them before they come through here.”
A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report titled Transnational Organised Crime in the Pacific: Expansion, Challenges and Impact said the presence of Australian OMCGs and Latin American drug cartels were also on the rise in the Pacific region.
The report stated that members of various OMCGs, including the Banditos, Comancheros, Head Hunters, Hell’s Angels, Mongols, and Rebels, among others, have expanded to several Pacific island countries and territories.
“OMCGs, commonly referred to as ‘bikies’, have an active presence in all Australian states and territories and in New Zealand and have developed robust international connections and business networks,” the report said.
“The Latin American cartels, particularly those from Mexico, dominate the cocaine supply chain to Australia and New Zealand, much of which transits maritime routes through the Pacific.
“Fiji, for instance, appears to be growing in importance as a regional hub for drug trafficking and an emerging base for transnational organised crime networks operating in and through the Pacific.”
