Aussie bikies plan an Asian invasion starting by Cambodia

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AUSSIE outlaw bikie gangs are expanding their business interests into overseas casinos to launder money from illegal activities in Australia.

Australia's largest outlaw club, the Rebels, has established a chapter in Cambodia, one of 20 nations where it has a presence. It is suspected they are negotiating to buy or even build a casino.

Police fear it would be a clearing house for drug cash, and allow the gangs to turn problem gamblers who rack up debts into drug mules forced to import drugs to Australia.

Members of another major club, the Comancheros, have also shown interest in buying a casino in the economically emerging nation, which has a number of poorly run venues on the market.

A team of Australian Rebels were spotted in Sihanoukville, a port city on the Gulf of Thailand, for more than a month this year.

The city is attracting national and foreign investment to its fledgling tourism industry  and  its  growing  inter-national sea port.

It is understood the AFP is aware of the bikies' activities but declined to comment about "intelligence matters'' surrounding OMCGs.

Police would not confirm any intelligence it had about OMCGs interests in running gambling venues abroad.

"We know OMCGs have a large footprint across many industries in Australia and abroad and we'll continue to work with our law enforcement counterparts nationally and around the world to disrupt any organised criminal OMCG activity,'' police said.

The gambling industry in Cambodia is regulated by the Royal Cambodian Government, which does not adhere to strict probity checks standard in Western nations to gain a casino licence.

A casino venue would give any outlaw bikie members involved in organised criminal activity scope to launder money, manipulate betting markets, source drug mules and corrupt officialdom.

A classified National Crime Target report identified 70 per cent of the "high risk targets to Australia'' live in, or have other connections to, South-East Asia.

The Rebels and another gang founded in Thailand, Lone Brothers MC, operate bars in Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh. There is anecdotal evidence the clubs have an allegiance.

There are also fears the gangs are unlikely to come under Cambodian police scrutiny as many police will be employed as security for casinos under bikie gang control.

Apart from Cambodia, the Rebels have set up chapters in Laos, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore.