BIKER NEWS: Black Uhlans outlaw motorcycle gang coming to Tasmania for three-day visit

BIKER NEWS -- About 115 members of the Black Uhlans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang are expected to arrive in Tasmania on Friday and spend three days in the state as part of their national run.

Tasmania Police said it had been aware of the planned visit for some time and would station extra officers in Devonport and Smithton, where the gang has club rooms.

Acting Commander Western District Tim Dooley said police would be closely monitoring the bikies' activities.

"We are very interested in where they go, what they do etcetera, and we'll be out and we'll be insisting that they abide by the laws of this state," he said.

Police officers from interstate and a member of the National Anti-gang Squad will also take part in the operation.

The Black Uhlans are classified as a violent criminal gang in other states.

Acting Commander Dooley said although the club's membership had dwindled to as few as 20 in Tasmania, police still took them seriously.

"These are criminal entities that engage in criminal misconduct," he said.

"We know that, we've seen that. There is evidence of them engaging in drug manufacturing, drug distribution."

Police say they are prepared for bikies

Neither Tasmania Police nor the owner of the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, TT Line, would comment on whether extra precautions were being taken to prevent bikies from bringing illicit drugs or other illegal items into the state.

The Black Uhlan's Tasmanian club rooms have both been stripped of their liquor licences in the last 12 months as a result of police lobbying of the Liquor and Gaming Commission.

Local councils are not happy about the gang's visit but say they have no power to prevent them from publicly assembling.

Locals said activity at the clubhouses had noticeably diminished in recent years and there was rarely overt criminal activity or disruptive behaviour there.

However police said the activities of Black Uhlans members often came to their attention.

Acting Commander Tim Dooley reassured members of the community that police have planned carefully for the bikies' visit to Tasmania.

"They'll get the normal welcome that any outlaw motorcycle gang will get when they arrive in Tasmania," he said.

"They will be expecting that we will be there to meet them when they arrive."

This article was first published on 21 Oct 2015, 4:48pm
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