A white supremacist and neo-Nazi supporter accused of running a large cannabis plantation is suspected of selling his product to members of an Indigenous community in north Queensland, say police.
John Lee, who came to police attention through his suspected links to the Rebels motorcycle club, was charged with cannabis cultivation after a raid in Cooktown allegedly found him with 206 plants and 2kg of bagged cannabis.
The 49-year-old has a 10cm by 10cm swastika tattooed on his head and police found his large shed festooned with Nazi flags and at least 19 swastikas – including one on a wall fan – alongside confederate flags commonly associated with the Rebels gang.
Inspector Brendan Smith of gang squad Maxima told Guardian Australia that police will allege Lee had sold cannabis to local Indigenous people, “which is quite interesting given he’s a white supremacist”.
Lee is due to front Cooktown magistrates court in coming weeks. He was one of 61 people caught up in a statewide operation targeting criminal gang networks which this month resulted in 167 charges, some relating to drugs, weapons, stolen goods and an illegal tattoo business.
Acting superintendent Bruno Asnicar, the northern region crime coordinator, said the intelligence that followed the introduction of a dedicated criminal gang team in far north Queensland had enabled a sustained pressure on this type of alleged criminal activity in the community.
