Motorcycle club feud uncovers drugs and 3D printed guns

An Exmouth man and woman are among a group handed prison sentences after a motorcycle club feud which spanned the country uncovered drugs, weapons and even 3D-printed handguns.

The feud between rival bikers in Salford, Manchester, has seen three men jailed for a combined 17 years for drugs and firearms offences, with the leader of one gang coordinating the production of 3D-printed guns.

Appearing at Manchester Crown Court, it was revealed how the entire investigation stemmed from an initial road traffic collision report close to midnight on Saturday, August 22, 2020, after a rival biker smashed his car into a Hells Angels clubhouse on Liverpool Road in Cadishead. Advertisement Advertisement

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From there, the officer uncovered that the single vehicle collision had a lot more to it, thus an investigation began that led to the arrest and charge of six individuals associated with the Manchester Bandidos motorcycle club.

Earlier that day, members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club travelled to a public house, just yards from their rival's club house on Chester Road in Trafford.

Trio motorbike club members jailed - including Dale Austin from Exmouth -Credit:Greater Manchester Police

Members of the club spread themselves out along the road, in a show of disrespect, taunting their rivals who were not at the clubhouse at the time. Advertisement

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A short while after arriving, the group dispersed from the area, away from CCTV coverage.

Later that afternoon, several members of the Bandidos motorcycle club returned to their clubhouse, where officers believed a revenge plan was hatched against their counterparts from Salford.

At 7pm, a Peugeot 2008, which was hired by Steve Mason a few days before the incident occurred, was captured on CCTV heading towards Salford.

Phone data suggested that both Leslie Lamb and Luke Emery were on board and in the Irlam and Cadishead area of Salford, along with the vehicle.

Prior to midnight that Peugeot was reversed into the front of the Hells Angels clubhouse on Liverpool Road in Cadishead.

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CCTV from the area showed a suspect running from the direction of the clubhouse, ramming, wearing a crash helmet and a distinctive jacket. The suspect was then seen to get inside the waiting vehicle. The jacket was very similar to one worn by Emery on a previous social media post.

The following day, a report of theft of a motor vehicle was made to Greater Manchester Police, with the victim of the burglary being Victoria Priestner, who claimed she was looking after the vehicle for the owner whilst he was on holiday.

She said she had been admitted to hospital and returned to find the kitchen window open, and the car key had gone.

3D guns found during the investigation -Credit:Greater Manchester Police

The vehicle being reported as stolen was a Peugeot 2008, the same vehicle that had been reversed into the clubhouse on Liverpool Road the night previous.

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However, when officers carried out enquiries, they found a hole in Priestner's story. While she said she was admitted to hospital, she claimed she had been in for four days, where records suggested she was only in hospital for a six-hour period.

Given the discrepancy in the timeline of events, investigators deemed it necessary to continue with the investigation, which lasted a staggering five years.

The court heard how Steve Mason - who was the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Bandidos - was responsible for discipline and access to weapons.

He was initially arrested in September 2021 by West Mercia Police and then further arrested by Greater Manchester Police in April 2024. Evidence showed Mason orchestrated the manufacture of 3D-printed firearms using multiple printers seized from addresses linked to him in Manchester and Exmouth [1].

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Forensic analysis confirmed his DNA on the trigger and operational parts of a PG22 Maverick revolver, a prohibited weapon under the Firearms Act. He also featured in videos assembling gun components and was linked to ammunition and a traditional .38 calibre revolver.

Dale Austin, who lived with Mason, was linked to the traditional revolver and ammunition seized in Exmouth. His DNA was found on the trigger of the .38 Special revolver, which was test-fired by forensic experts and confirmed to be a viable weapon.

Austin was also arrested for possession of Class A drugs during later enquiries.

Leslie 'Diesel' Lamb played a key role in the feud and was heavily involved with orchestrating the attack on the rival clubhouse.

A search of his home in Hartford Gardens in Timperley uncovered a cannabis farm capable of producing up to half a kilogram of Class B drugs. His DNA was also recovered from a 3D-printed firearm seized in Manchester.

Other weapons seized during the investigation -Credit:Greater Manchester Police

The investigation uncovered a hybrid 3D-printed handgun design known as the PG22 Maverick, capable of firing .22 calibre rounds when fully assembled with metal components. Advertisement

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Although incomplete at the time of seizure, forensic experts confirmed it met the legal definition of a firearm under the Firearms Act.

Alongside this, officers recovered a Llama .38 Special revolver and six rounds of live ammunition, as well as multiple 3D printers, numerous bladed articles, and digital files for other printable weapons including the Liberator and Songbird pistols.

Retired Detective Constable Mike Armstrong-Porter, who worked in the Salford district, said: "This investigation originally started out as a call in relation to a road traffic collision, what transpired turned out to be a world of criminality we were not expecting.

"This, in essence, was a real-world 'Sons of Anarchy' dispute between two motorcycle clubs with a real disliking to each other.

"From that initial RTC report, this investigation escalated into an operation that would see us recover deadly, homemade, manufactured firearms capable of causing serious harm. Advertisement Advertisement

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"These individuals were part of an organised network prepared to arm themselves and others, with complete disregard for public safety. The recovery of 3D printers, digital blueprints, and component parts shows how easily technology can be exploited for criminal purposes.

"Thanks to the dedication of officers across multiple forces, we have removed firearms, ammunition, and drugs from circulation thus preventing further violence, and dismantled a gang intent on causing harm.

"We have worked incredibly hard for the past six years on this case, now that it has come to an end, it is pleasing to see six criminals taken off the streets and into prison cells.

Thankfully that RTC report led us to where it did, if that did not happen, a lot of potential deadly weapons could have flooded our streets."

Steve Mason, 36, of HMP Oakwood, admitted possession of a prohibited firearm, manufacturing a prohibited firearm, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and received a nine-year prison sentence. Advertisement Advertisement

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Dale Austin, 31, of Dukes Crescent, Exmouth, admitted possession of a prohibited firearm and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Leslie Lamb, 43, of Hartford Gardens, Timperley, admitted criminal damage and cultivation of cannabis, he will serve 27 months behind bars.

Also convicted for their involvement in this investigation were:

Luke Emery, 27, of Stockport [2], admitted criminal damage and has received an 18-month sentence suspended for two years, 150 hours unpaid work; 10 days rehabilitation activity requirement. Emery alongside Lamb were discovered to have exchanged discussions regarding the planned attack on the clubhouse and included photographs of the damage they inflicted that evening.

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Victoria Priestner Emery, 38, of Timperley, admitted to perverting the course of justice and received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Priestner, who is Lamb's partner, was arrested after police found a 3D-printed revolver concealed atop a wardrobe at her Trafford home.

Emma McCagh, 34, of Rolle Street, Exmouth, pleaded guilty to allowing her premises to be used for cocaine supply and was handed a two-year community order. McCagh, who was Mason's girlfriend at the time, was arrested in Devon following searches that uncovered resin parts of 3D-printed firearms and a revolver at her property.

The rivalry between motorcycle gangs is not unknown in the UK and the history of the issue is well known to police [3].

In Devon this exploded in the brutal killing of a rival motorcycle club member, 59-year-old David Crawford, who was knocked off his motorbike and dragged under a Transit van along the A38 in Plymouth for almost a kilometre, leaving him with catastrophic fatal injuries. [4]

Crawford, of Ivybridge [5], was a member of the Red Chiefs club whose chapter was based in Cornwall - said in court to be affiliated with Hells Angels.

Those jailed for his brutal death were members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, whose chapter was based in Plymouth.

During the trial it was claimed that the Mr Crawford, a grandfather, was targeted because he was wearing his 'colours' in a rival biker gang's turf.[6][7]

References

^ Exmouth (www.devonlive.com)
^ Stockport (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
^ the history of the issue is well known to police (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
^ 59-year-old David Crawford, who was knocked off his motorbike and dragged under a Transit van along the A38 in Plymouth for almost a kilometre, leaving him with catastrophic fatal injuries. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
^ Ivybridge (www.devonlive.com)
^ Plymouth (www.devonlive.com)
^ was targeted because he was wearing his 'colours' in a rival biker gang's turf. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)