Twelve Comanchero members, including the president, are in custody charged with murder

Police today revealed that the notorious New South Wales gang, allegedly responsible for the Sydney Airport brawl which left one man dead, had established a foothold in Western Australia, with up to a dozen members.It comes amid speculation that WA Police are failing to stem the tide of interstate bikie gangs into WA, with the recent emergence of the Finks and the Rock Machine.
Today, police said that the 5kg haul of methamphetamine had been uncovered in a vehicle transported from Sydney to Perth, which arrived this week.Police will allege one of the arrested men flew to WA yesterday, collected the vehicle and drove it to an address in Bayswater before meeting one of the other arrested men in North Perth.
It will be alleged the first man later travelled back to Perth Airport to book a flight back to New South Wales before he returned to the Perth CBD where he was arrested.Detectives then pounced, launching a series of raids, including on a gym in Wellman St, Perth where police will allege Comancheros members had set up a clubhouse in a back room.Another 11 properties in WA, including a property in Hargraves St, Stirling where 210 grams of methamphetamine was allegedly seized, were searched by police, along with one in NSW.“We will allege there is a clear link between this drug shipment and the Comancheros. There is no question that outlaw motorcycle gangs represent organised crime networks. They are not social clubs, they are organised crime,'' said Det-Supt Jim Migro, from the Serious and Organised Crime Division.
The top-secret investigation, code-named Operation Baystone, has been in train since December last year when police seized 2.7kg of methamphetamine from a house in Stirling.Det-Supt Migro said police intelligence suggested that a senior member of the NSW Comancheros was due to arrive in Perth this weekend to distribute colours to up to eight new WA members.
``They are establishing themselves here in Western Australia...This is a clear indication that outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in and/or are organised crime. They are not social clubs. They are organised crime,'' he said.
``We first became aware of them back in December...They haven't been out overtly displaying themselves as Comancheros but our intelligence holdings have been given some information and because of that we started this operation on them.''Det-Supt Migro said the drug seizure equated to a $50 million reduction in the social cost of illicit drugs to the community. He would not disclose the street value of the seized drugs.Criminals and interstate bikie gangs were attracted to WA in a bid to capitalise on the rich economy and hefty disposable income, he said.``This is a very significant bust. We're talking here 7.5kg of amphetamine over a couple of months. These people are not small fish. These are the people that we talk about (who) are key players in the illicit drug trade."These people are serious and organised crime and for those people who say that outlaw motorcycle gangs aren't in organised crime, this is a clear indication of their involvement.''“Methamphetamine is hugely destructive, resulting in not just personal misery but it has the knock-on effect of contributing to further serious and volume crime within society.''Tuart Hill man Steve Milenkovski, 32, the WA Comancheros president, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply methamphetamine.
East Perth man Hao Bi, 26, was charged with attempting to supply methamphetamine, while Yuvaz Ozan, 31, from Kogarah in New South wasles has been charged with supplying methamphetmaine and conspiring to sell the drug. The trio appeared in Perth Magistrates Court today.
Another man, a 28-year-old from Stirling has been charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, possessing cocaine and possessing ecstasy. He will appear in court at a later date.Det-Supt Mal Lanyon, from then NSW Gang Squad, said the Comancheros were one of the most significant gangs in NSW with about 50 members and had been involved in the notorious Sydney AirportTwelve Comanchero members, including the president, are in custody charged with murder, he said.These charges relate to the death of Anthony Zervas, 29 - the brother of senior Hells Angels member Peter Zervas - who was killed during a brawl between the Comancheros and Hells Angels at Sydney Airport in March last year.