Australian court cases involve bikie gang associations

Two separate legal cases in Australia have highlighted connections between individuals and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

In Tamworth, 57-year-old Stephen Ross Hanshaw was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for running a street-level drug ring. Hanshaw pleaded guilty to multiple counts of supplying methylamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. During court proceedings, it was claimed that Hanshaw was coerced under duress by bikie creditors to deal drugs to service his own addiction and settle debts. The investigation, known as Strike Force Bogangate, targeted the distribution of substances in the West Tamworth area.

In Preston, Deirdre Wilkes was sentenced to a custodial term after pleading guilty to blackmail. Wilkes admitted to hiring Gazi Assi, an associate of the Finks motorcycle gang, to extort more than $2 million from her two brothers. The extortion attempt stemmed from a bitter family dispute regarding the valuation of a company, Into Blinds Pty Ltd. Assi, who had previously received a maximum two-year sentence, used intimidation and surveillance to demand payments from the siblings.