Some ex-members of Cannonball MC, a long-standing criminal outfit and motorcycle club that broke apart last week, are likely to found a new club of their own or join up with existing groups, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) says.
Cannonball MC was founded in 1991 and many of its members were tied to a whole range of wrongdoings, from aggravated assault and drug trafficking to various financial crimes. The club broke apart due to internal disagreements, sources say.
Daily Iltalehti was the first to report on the motorcycle gang's rupture. The paper also mentioned how ex-members were going on social media, posting pictures and videos of themselves burning their Cannonball vests.
Split won't curb gang activity
The NBI's investigations unit chief Sanna Palo says her organisation is aware of the comings and goings in the world of organised crime. She says that the crumbling of Cannonball MC will affect Finnish gangland dynamics, but will do nothing to actually put an end to organised crime.
"We have been aware of things changing gear. The situation is as reported. When an organisation as old and well-known as this goes down, it's bound to affect the field, but it's too soon to tell how," Palo says.
Nevertheless, Palo estimates that the now-orphaned gang members will try to reorganise.
"We'll have to wait and see whether that means forming a new club or swelling the ranks of existing ones. It's unlikely that ex-members would find themselves ousted from gang life entirely."
Palo is unwilling to comment on the possible reasons for the club's breakup, simply citing "disagreements".
The NBI is currently aware of some 90 active gangs with a total membership of about 800 people.
Cannonball MC was an exclusive gang, which outsiders could only join through an existing member's sponsorship. The strictly hierarchical group demanded absolute loyalty of its members and boasted branches in ten different regions within Finland as well as one in Tallinn, Estonia.
