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GARDAÍ ARE MONITORING the activities of an Irish chapter of the Bandidos motorcycle club, which formed last weekend in Limerick.
An initiation ceremony of a ‘full patch chapter’ took place at the Crossagalla Industrial Estate.
According to gardaí, the leaders of several Bandido chapters from across Europe attended the initiation ceremony last Saturday.
Some members of the gang were seen wearing t-shirts in support of an alleged Bandido member who is charged with shooting dead a fellow biker.
A garda source said: “They are a serious outfit.
There are growing fears about them coming across from Europe as they are involved in criminality and violence.
“The head honchos of the Bandidos came to this event in Limerick from across Europe.
“Some serious criminal elements showed up. What may be coming down the road is unknown.”
The Bandidos have chapters all across the world. Roberto Pfeil / PA
Roberto Pfeil / PA / PA
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International police
A number of Belgian police were also present at the Limerick gathering to “liaise” with their garda counterparts.
The garda source added: “They were liaising with gardaí as part of their policing operations. There has to be cross border co-operation on these type of gangs because they can suddenly spring up anywhere across the world.
“Senior members of the Bandidos travelled to this event in Limerick, not the low level guys. It’s sending out a signal that this was an important event in their calendar.
“If they decided they wanted to open a chapter in Italy, for example, then the President of the Irish branch would pick members of the club to go there and represent Ireland.”
Large crowds
Around 200 bikers gathered in Limerick for the event with around 100 travelling from outside of the country and staying in a number of Limerick city hotels.
According to gardaí, two senior members of the Irish chapter have been convicted of attempting to rob a bank in Munster.
Members of the Bandidos bikie gang ride in a funeral procession along a highway in Western Sydney. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
The garda added: “The gang is well known for criminality. I would watch this space. Many of the smaller Irish motorcycle clubs are afraid of the Bandidos. Their overall aim is to take over the rest of the clubs and increase their own membership. The Bandidos see themselves as having status and power.”
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, was formed in the 1960s in Texas. It promotes itself as a “one-percenter” motorcycle club with members getting promoted through the the ranks and presented with badges. The “1%” patch is said to imply the gang’s division from the 99% of all law abiding motorcyclists.
The Bandidos are said to have estimated 210 Chapters with approximately 5,000 members across 22 countries. The club’s motto states: “We are the people your parents warned you about.”
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@Beachmaster:
So journal .ie has become an expert in bandino. Pure bollix. The Pravda media are a bigger threar to society than a group of imagery bikers out for truth and a good spin.
There’s worse criminals running this country I’d be far more worried about them (and am) than what’s basically a club for fellas who like riding motorcycles. Journals priorities all wrong.
@brian magee: We’re not in Schengen Brian. Pretty sure we could have refused them (the criminal ones anyway) in the way Beachmaster suggested, think we do it with known ‘football hooligans’ sometimes.
@Jeremy McCarthy next time you’re chilln’ near San Antonio , Jeremy, feel free to casually pass these biker ‘fellas’ on the highway – and be sure to waive (-:
They’ll fit in perfectly here we have a very diverse range of criminals to choose from, bankers judges solicitors travellers garda, drug lords etc etc etc.
Hold on lads until we have a tellermorrow garage along side them and a nice doctor being turned cause she loves the veep were be grand , it’s when the IRA and Damon pope show up in town when things get serious
I met a bunch of them on the boat home from France this summer. They were a very ordinary bunch of Limerick lads just having a bit of craic. A few days earlier we ran into a large group of them with German plates on the motorway in northern Spain. Turns out they were all at a large euro meet that weekend. Beats golf any day!! IMHO
John to say what you said about a Garda who is quite obviously better informed than you are demonstrates you don’t. Read the link” A Brief and Bloody History of the Bandidos”
Roll out those old Hells Angel movies. Two bank robbers, wouldn’t have happened if they were in some soccer supporters club, or GAA members. Bloody bikers.
Calm yourself Boganity, you’ve repeated your story enough times. You’re a bit over-concerned and out of character this evening. Are you having motorcycle and drugs nightmares or hallucinations?
No I’ve just seen first hand the damage Ice can do to a community. These guys are not a bunch latte sipping tossers. They’re the world’s largest manufacturer and distributer of Methamphetamine. This is their franchise moving on Ireland and there’s a reason they choose Limerick. The Gardai’s comments are informed and correct and the threat they pose to the community cannot be overstated.
I am Irish. From Limerick in fact. I can’t think of any obvious reason they’d chose Limerick over any other city or town in the country. Surely Dublin or Cork would make more sense?
Don’t underestimate the Bandidos. They are serious. But we have our own 1% clubs here. Vikings, Hells Angel’s, Devils Diciples, Free Wheelers, Road Tramps and a few more. This isn’t a game. This isn’t even funny. Boganity has a point, we should be very concerned.
We have criminals running the country on every level now, why are these s(um getting away with setting up, more needs to be done against crime but it might have start with a clean up in The Gardai and government first.
Looking for new members???? I think they are s*it out of luck here. All motor bike clubs I know are filled with mammy s and daddy’s (my own family included) who are out for a bit of fun. And I must say motor bike society in Ireland has to be the most family orientated sport we have. A lot of the other organisations could take a leaf out of their books
Crystal meth, that horrible drug that destroys people in no time. I read a while ago that the drug was introduced in New Zealand by one of the biker gangs. Interesting how they are looking at Ireland now. Do they spot an opportunity?
So that’s the hells angels in Dublin west will be getting a visit from the badidos soon.
Hells angels are actually sound lads out here, they have a family fun day everyday at the back of their club house, bouncy castle, bbq the whole shebang
You should be: they have lawyers, guns and money and are about to introduce Ireland to Methamphetamine. A drug so additive and evil that it will change Ireland’s definition of junkie. It won’t be the homeless guys you see on the streets of Dublin, it’ll be people in suits like your solicitor, realtor, bank manager etc
Interesting.
A lot of other biker clubs are fearful of being taken over by the Banditos, who if they target a club arrive some night and issue an ultimatum. ‘Leave right now or join us’
Clubs are fast tracking new members in and giving out patches where traditionally they would have to be earned over a period of time in an effort to boost numbers.
Lot of money at stake here.
Take over the rest of the smaller clubs lol!!! Let’s see what the rest of the 1%’er clubs here say about that! They are their own clubs for a reason and won’t be pushed about.
I was thinking of joining them. And maybe we could do a bike run for a charity,and then maybe an open day in the phoenix park with a cake sale and free rides on their choppers! What do ye think?Ah it’d be a lovely day out.
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