A Wallan man was among four men, three of who are patched members of the Finks Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, to be arrested of an alleged extortion of an Eltham business owner last week.
Detectives from the Echo Taskforce arrested the four men – a 36-year-old Wallan man, believed to be a patched member of the Finks; a Dallas man, 43, believed to be a senior patched member of the Finks; a Docklands man, 34, believed to be a sergeant at arms of the Finks; an Ascot Vale man, 30, believed to be an associate of the Finks.
With assistance from the VIPER Taskforce, early morning searches were conducted at five homes in Dallas, Docklands, Wallan, Ascot Vale and Langwarrin, as well as at a Brunswick East clubhouse on Friday.
Four men have been taken into custody and interviewed by police.
A handgun, ammunition and a significant quantity of cash were seized from the Ascot Vale address.
The 34-year-old Docklands man was arrested at an address in Langwarrin. He was aggressive towards police and consequently sprayed with OC spray. He was also served with a Firearm Prohibition Order.
A subsequent search of the Langwarrin address located a shotgun, ammunition and a quantity of what appear to be cocaine and steroids.
The arrests follow an incident on June 26, when the owner of a convenience store on Main Road in Eltham was threatened by several men trying to force the closure of his business.
Police were told four men, one wearing Finks OMCG colours, entered the store shortly before midday.
It is believed one of the men struck up a conversation about the store with the owner, before another threatened to burn the store down if the victim didn’t close his business.
The victim refused, and the men left the premises. Nobody was physically injured during the incident.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who has knowledge of the incident or has CCTV or dashcam footage.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
