Australian police arrest alleged mastermind of global crime network

Canberra, Sep 18 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU) The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has carried out raids nationwide after infiltrating a messaging platform used for criminal communications.

The AFP on Tuesday executed search warrants across the states of New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA) under Operation Kraken, making 38 arrests and seizing 205 kilograms of illicit drugs, 25 weapons and $811,381 in cash, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among those arrested was 32-year-old Sydney man Jay Je Yoon Jung, who has been charged by the AFP for allegedly creating and administering ‘Ghost’ — an encrypted messaging platform that authorities claim was specifically designed for use by criminals.

The AFP alleges that Jung launched the platform in 2015 and has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from his dealings. He has been charged with assisting a criminal organisation and dealing with suspected criminal money and cryptocurrency offences.

“We will be alleging that this platform is solely being used for criminality and serious organised crime, drug trafficking, drug importation, tobacco trafficking, firearms trafficking, and money laundering,” AFP Commander Paula Hudson, head of Operation Kraken, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television on Tuesday night.

“Threatening to murder, threatening to harm, standover tactics and criminals seeking to do damage to people.”

She confirmed that crime syndicates using Ghost include organised crime groups and motorcycle gangs and that partner agencies overseas are taking police action.

Of Tuesday’s arrests, 23 were made in NSW, 13 in Victoria and one each in SA and WA.

The AFP said that the arrests of six men in NSW have dismantled a criminal syndicate that was using Ghost to organise the import of illicit drugs into Australia.

The six men have been charged with a combined 43 offences.