Police targeted trail bike riders in a one-day operation in the Illawarra. Photo: NSW Police.
Bikers behaving badly across the Illawarra were busted over the weekend as part of a police crackdown.
Four people were charged, two trail bikes were seized, and almost 70 infringement notices were issued during the one-day high visibility operation targeting illegal trail bike riders.
Operation Spoiler ran from 8 am until 8 pm on Saturday (26 July) on high-profile roads and high-traffic areas for illegal trail bike riders, including Berkeley, Lake Illawarra, Mount Warrigal, Figtree and Bellambi.
The northern suburbs proved to be among the most fruitful of the sites targeted, with at least two of the four people charged busted in the Bulli area.
A NSW Police spokesperson said about 2 pm Saturday a 47-year-old man was riding a dirt bike along Franklin Avenue, Bulli, without number plates.
“The rider was pulled over and allegedly failed to present a valid driver’s license or valid registration,” the NSW Police spokesperson said.
“He was subjected to a roadside drug test, allegedly returning a positive result.
“He was arrested and taken to Corrimal Police Station where he allegedly returned a positive test for methamphetamine and cannabis, which has been sent away for secondary testing.
“He was issued with a 24-hour prohibition from driving notice.”
A short time later, about 2:55 pm, police spotted a group of five motorcyclists also on Franklin Avenue, Bulli.
The NSW Police spokesperson said POL Air helped officers on the ground track the group to an address in Davidson Avenue, Woonona.
“Following checks, a 22-year-old male rider was allegedly found not to hold a driver’s license,” the NSW Police spokesperson said.
“He was issued with a court attendance notice for never having a license to drive a vehicle on the road.
“He will appear in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday 19 August 2025.”
The focus was on the detection and interception of unregistered trail bikes on the road and general road rule compliance.
The NSW Police spokesperson said of 113 people breath tested, only one returned a positive result for alcohol, in the high range.
Illicit drug use was much higher, however, with 48 roadside drug tests returning seven positive results.
Ten trail bikes were stopped, eight unauthorised drivers detected and seven people searched.
Police did not share the results of those searches.
