A Port Melbourne tattoo parlour and a Mongols clubhouse have been raided as part of an investigation into illegal drugs trade.
Anti-bikie Echo Taskforce detectives moved on the Victims of Ink Tattoo parlour on Bay Street and other properties in the area from 7am on Wednesday.
The raids, which targeted homes and businesses, were part of a drugs investigation, a police spokeswoman said.
The Mongols have maintained a strong public presence in the inner city bayside suburb following a national patch over of the Finks in October 2013.
Motorcycles bearing Mongols insignia have become a fixture on Bay Street in recent months, a waitress at a nearby cafe said.
A Bay Street shop owner, who has lived in the area for several years and wished not to be named, said motorcycle gangs had become a growing nuisance in the area over the past 12 months.
“They’ve infiltrated,” she said. “You see a lot of guys walking past covered in tattoos… You don’t know who’s from where any more because there’s so many groups in the area.”
She said motorcycles could be heard “tearing” up and down Bay Street through the night, which “isn’t nice”.
