It is difficult for foreign crime rings to gain a foothold in Finland as local organisations are already in firm control, reports the tabloid Iltalehti.

“Aside from motorcycling, Hells Angels, the Bandidos as well as Cannonball MC practice a wide range of business activities, some of which are perfectly legal, according to the police.

The motorcycle clubs’ public transactions include debt collection and construction businesses. However, the police have plenty of information about the clubs’ criminal activities, which include extortion and drug trafficking.

The clubs in question, as well as their sub-groups, are tightly organised in military fashion. According to police, the Hells Angels and Bandidos pay part of their business revenue to their clubs’ respective ‘home offices’ abroad.

In October 1997 the Angels and Bandidos, who in previous years had fought bitterly over territory and power, signed a peace treaty, which has so far held. Their battle put a strain on their businesses and resources, which now can be used against their common foe, the authorities.

The 1% insignia on the clubs’ vests allude to the fact that their members belong to a minority that has set itself apart from society’s laws and norms.

It is estimated that the motorcycle clubs and their support clubs, which have been classified as criminal organisations, have about 300 members altogether in Finland.

Despite their English names the other four known criminal gangs are completely Finnish in origin. They are N.B.K. (Natural Born Killers), Rogues Gallery, Bats and M.O.R.E. (Me Olemme Rikollisten Eliittiä, or We Are the Criminal Elite).”

ILTALEHTI 7 November
Lehtikuva - Kimmo Mäntylä