A Rebels bikie boss was deported from Australia to his native New Zealand this week after his visa was cancelled for a third time amid a crackdown on gang activity.
Aaron ‘AJ’ Graham, the founder of the Rebel’s Tasmania chapter, was escorted through a side door onto an Air New Zealand flight from Sydney to Auckland on Tuesday, according to The Herald Sun.
Graham is among 154 senior bikie members – including AFL star Dustin Martin’s dad Shane – who have had their visas cancelled since 2014.
Rebels bikie senior Aaron ‘AJ’ Graham (pictured), 50, was deported from Australia to his native New Zealand this week after his visa was cancelled for a third time amid a crackdown on gang activity
The 50-year-old is among 154 senior bikie members – including AFL star Dustin Martin’s (right) dad Shane (left) – who have had their visas cancelled since 2014
The 50-year-old, who has distinctive tattoos covering half his face, won a High Court appeal against his second visa cancellation on September 6.
Within hours of the ruling, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton cancelled Graham’s visa for a third time, the publication reported.
It is understood Mr Dutton argued that Graham didn’t meet character standards.
Changes to migration laws in 2014 granted Mr Dutton greater power to cancel visas of foreign-born people who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months in jail or those suspected of being involved in gang activity.
In 2009, Graham was convicted of attacking a 19-year-old insurance fraud investigator, punching and kicking him repeatedly before poking his eye with an aerial, the Herald Sun reported.
The 50-year-old was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
Mr Dutton said Shane Martin’s (pictured) visa was cancelled for the ‘safety of the Australian community’
Mr Dutton has been provided with evidence from law enforcement linking bikie gangs to violent crimes, according to the publication.
‘What we know of outlaw motorcycle gang members is that they are the biggest distributors of ice and amphetamines in our country,’ Mr Dutton said on Tuesday.
‘They import, they manufacture and they distribute it, and they are otherwise involved in serious crime, including providing muscle for the CFMEU on building sites around the country.’
Mr Dutton told Parliament this week more than 3,000 criminals have been deported over three years.
Dustin Martin (pictured), 26, thanked his father after the AFL Grand Final match between the Adelaide Crows and the Richmond Tigers on September 30