Australian Crime Commission task force seizes $500m in drugs, cash as investigators focus on motorcycle gangs, people smugglers

Australian Crime Commission taskforce seizes $500m in drugs, cash as investigators focus on motorcycle gangs, people smugglers

ABC
By Sarah Dingle
January 23,2014

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) is claiming a major victory in its fight against organised crime, with a special covert taskforce seizing more than $500 million in drugs and cash in the last year.

The commission's anti-money laundering taskforce, which is focused on tracking the proceeds of crime, has led investigators to clandestine drug labs within Australia and criminal activities overseas.

ACC's acting chief executive Paul Jevtovic says the key to following the money was working out how it was being moved offshore through alternative remitters - agents outside the formal banking system who offer cash transferral services.

"They need to move their profits in safe havens where they can then line their pockets, or in turn, use that profit to continue the crimes that they're perpetuating again civilians here in Australia," he said.

Mr Jevtovic estimates organised crime costs the Australian economy at least $15 billion every year.

He said criminal profits are primarily derived from drug importation which the commission worked with state and federal investigators, and international partners like the US Drug Enforcement Agency, to crack down on.

"Drug importations into Australia continue to be the main profit source by organised crime here in this country, but there is a range of other things, serious organised investment frauds, identity theft," he said.

"Over the last 12 months the covert aspects of that operation, which are ongoing, has seized more than $580 million in drugs and assets, including $26 million in cash.

"In the last week, we have had a single cash seizure of $6 million."

People smugglers, motorcycle gangs monitored by investigators

Mr Jevtovic said a "very complex global network" of more than 20 countries were involved in the movement of money in and out of Australia.

"We're not going to go into detail about the specific countries, but the reality is that the Middle East and south-east Asia have featured prominently," he said.

"There's no doubt, and we've confirmed, bikie gangs operating in Australia and elsewhere in the world are involved. There's clearly drug cartels, people smuggling networks.

"We've allowed the money to take us to the crime types. There've been, for example, something like 128 targets that were previously unknown to law enforcement identified. There have been 105 people arrested on some 190 charges."

Mr Jevtovic said people smuggling operations and outlaw motorcycle gangs are a focus of investigations but he declined to say whether any bikie associates have been implicated.

"I don't want to confirm that, but it would be fair to say that outlaw motorcycle gangs have been the subject of our investigations and will continue to be," he said.

"Money has been paid to people to facilitate the commission of people smuggling, and it is the movement of those funds we will continue to focus on."

The ACC is also monitoring the use of rising international digital currency, bitcoin, but would not confirm whether it is a preferred method of money laundering by organised crime.