When police in Australia arrested four people linked to an outlaw motorcycle club this week
it all looked routine. There were the early morning
raids by a special police squad... "Police search warrant!..."
The expected find of guns and club regalia, and there were burly men led away in handcuffs
But these aren't just any arrests. It isn't even just a club's national president being arrested
It is something even more unusual. This highlights a rare and intriguing story in the biker world
The story of a club that formed around a family, and a family that formed around a club
An unusual integration, perhaps a vanishing one, of life, love, loyalty, crime, court
and death. The Mob Reporter here with news of the arrest of prominent members of a motorcycle
club that has an international reach, and what it tells us about the exiled godfather figure,
the so-called "Boss of Bosses," and his family that's raised in a club, and a club that's embraced his
family. Let me tell you about it. The raids and arrests came in the pre-dawn darkness of March 22,
2022, in and around Sydney, Australia. Arriving at the door of two homes and a business, in the city's
suburbs, were members of the Raptors Squad, a special anti-gang and anti-biker unit of New South Wales
police. This was the culmination of a months-long probe into guns and the Rebels Motorcycle Club
Investigators had discovered a stash of guns and by the look of them, they were in storage, prepped
for whenever they might be needed. Police said they found an AR-15 semi-automatic
rifle, wrapped tightly; two Glock semi-auto nine millimeter pistols with serial numbers removed;
an old 22-caliber revolver; ammunition and additional magazines. In subsequent searches
officers found another revolver, more ammo, a stolen BMW M3, steroids, prescription medication
and other items for investigation. Four men were arrested, ranging in age from 38 to 74.
Two of the men are Alex Vella Jr. and Damien Vella. Damien Vella is the current national president
of the Rebels Motorcycle Club. Alex Vella Jr., is Damien's cousin and also the namesake son of Alex
Vella Sr., a legendary figure within the club Alex senior joined the Rebels when he turned 18 —
back in 1972 — just three years after the club's founding. Now that's old school. What's more, he was
president for most of that time. Police said the two young Vella men arrested had quote "imminent
plans to leave Australia to participate in gang activity overseas" unquote. The thing about that is
their trip was to Malta to visit Alex senior and to celebrate a remarkable milestone, Alex senior's
50th year as a member of the Rebels. Alex senior was born in Malta, one of 11 children, to a family
that emigrated to Australia in the 1960s. His nickname is "the Maltese Falcon," probably from his
boxing days. Despite living in Australia from the age of 14, he never became an Australian citizen. In
2014, he returned to visit Malta but while he was out of the country, Australia cancelled his visa
leaving him ineligible to return. Now 68 years old he remains exiled in the land of his birth
But if he couldn't go to the Rebels, then he would bring the Rebels to him
in Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, due south of Sicily. The Rebels is a home-grown
Australian one percent club that oddly chose old symbols from the American south as their
logo, which probably wasn't as widely controversial in the 1970s as it is today
The Rebels grew to become Australia's largest outlaw biker club, spread internationally, and
declared by police to be, quote "one of Australia's highest risk criminal threats," unquote. But now Alex
senior is ensconced atop a Rebels chapter in Malta that boasts what is surely among the most
beautiful biker clubhouses in the world — a place they unveiled in February 2020, including with
this promotional video. It's different than many biker club houses that usually look more like a
frat house than a palace. Alex senior is called the "Boss of Bosses." The Malta chapter, Australian
police said, is hosting a "world run" for Rebels, which is a trip for all club members everywhere.
It's to mark the 50th anniversary of Alex senior's time in the club. Here he is, looking happy as
a clam, already rocking his 50 years patch at an event last week. So 2022 is shaping up to be a year
of mixed emotions for the clan. The celebration for Alex senior's milestone is muted not only
by these arrests, but also by a death. His younger brother, Gino Vella, died at the start of the year
of natural causes. Gino, like his older brother, was a stalwart in the Rebels for decades
And Gino's funeral on January 31, 2022, at a large Catholic church in Sydney's southwest was an immense
affair, attended by hundreds of bikers — or "bikies" as they are called down under. Mourners heard that
when his mother was pregnant with Gino he was so big she was sure she was carrying twins. From his
birth to his death he remained a man of heft; six burly pallbearers strained with his casket
The funeral shows us more than the great love people had for Gino
It reveals a dramatic integration of family and club that's rarely seen
Here we see Damien Vella, Gino's nephew, addressing the funeral, not so much as a family member, but as
a representative of the Rebels: "on behalf of the Rebels, our biggest condolences go out to Melissa..."
His words and eulogy from the pulpit evoked the club's slogans: "Uncle Gini, he watched me grow from
a little boy to the man and Rebel I am today and i know you're proud. On behalf of the club, we'd
like to thank you for paving the way, along with others, for us to have the club that we have today
Until the wheels fall off, we'll ride in your name. I love your uncle Rebels forever." The Rebels is a
multi-generational reference for this family. Grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins,
sons — are all involved. For some they become members of the Rebels as surely as they become members of
a family. It's extraordinary within major outlaw biker clubs. Here, the Vellas are dynastic. We're more
used to seeing this within the Mafia of Italy or other explicitly family-clan crime groups. Alex
senior wasn't allowed back into Australia to attend Gino's funeral. He sent remarks by video
played at the funeral and recited in verse in a self-penned poem. Meanwhile, back in Sydney with the
Raptors Squad, police knew of the two young Vella men's plans to go to Malta because they needed
permission from the courts to leave Australia while on bail for an earlier charge. The Raptors
Squad wasn't keen on the idea. They had a probe underway. The Raptors Squad's commander alleged
the men used intimidation to force a third party to store the guns and ammo for them against their
will. They allegedly threatened the person's family and even stole their car ,apparently trying to sell
it online. Before the Vellas could get on a plane, the raids and these arrests grounded their flight
plans and quelled their celebration. At least for now. Thanks for watching. And please subscribe