BIKER NEWS: Police nab more than 200 tax fraudster bikies

BIKER NEWS -- MORE than 200 tax-rorting bikie gang members have had unwelcome surprise visits from police and the Australian Tax Office's bean counters.

A joint operation targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs brought the ATO and federal and state police together to uncover millions of dollars of unpaid taxes.

It was the latest crackdown in Operation Morpheus, a national joint agency taskforce dedicated to targeting bikie gangs.

"These gangs rely on money to continue their illegal activities, so disrupting their resources is an example of another way law enforcement agencies are acting to dismantle their operations," NSW Detective Superintendent Deb Wallace said.

An ATO spokesperson said technological improvements enabled officers to more easily uncover tax cheats and co-ordinate such a large operation.

There were more than 40 outlaw bikie gangs with about 6000 full members operating in Australia in 2013, according to the Australian Crime Commission.

-APN NEWDSESK

This article was first published on 2nd Nov 2015 3:20 PM
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