During my initial posting in the Midwest, I became involved in several investigations regarding outlaw motorcycle gangs or OMGs. OMGs are organizations that use their members to conduct criminal activity. The DOJ recently put out a warning saying “There are more than 300 active OMGs within the United States, ranging in size from single chapters with five or six members to hundreds of chapters with thousands of members worldwide. The Hells Angels, Mongols, Bandidos, Outlaws, and Sons of Silence pose a serious national domestic threat and conduct the majority of criminal activity linked to OMGs, especially activity relating to drug-trafficking and, more specifically, to cross-border drug smuggling.”
Interestingly, I saw a recent post on The State via Yahoo News about an Indiana-based club who went out to “punish” an imposter. The imposter had tats and other markings that resembled “The Warlocks” and “The Pagans”. The imposter died.
In November 2008, I made an analytical judgement that a specific OMG would be able to start bringing in narcotics from Canada into the Midwest. These OMGs’ collateral damage was comparable to damage by street gangs like MS-13. OMGs are involved in and bring to communities murders, extortion, prostitution, and racketeering. For example:
- In August 2006, two members of an OMG allegedly opened fire on a crowd filled with members of a rival gang in Custer State Park, South Dakota. Five members of the rival gang were shot in what appeared to be a planned attack.
- The April 2002 River Run Riot between the Hells Angels and the Mongols motorcycle club resulted in three deaths, 36 indictments, and two convictions.
These examples may be dated, but the analysis was strong. And, the bottom line is to be mindful of where you are and what you are doing.