AFP To Crackdown On Organised Crime & Money Laundering

The AFP have announced plans to target Italian organised crime and money-laundering syndicates operating in Australia. 

According to AFP Assistant Commissioner Crime Command Nigel Ryan, police have managed to locate a number of ‘Ndrangheta clans currently operating within Australia. 

“We have about 51 Italian organised crime clans in Australia,”

- AFP Assistant Commissioner Crime Command Nigel Ryan

“We have identified 14 confirmed ‘Ndrangheta clans across Australia, involving thousands of members.”

The Italian clans are believed to be responsible for cleaning billions of dollars through the Australian economy every year.

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The major move against organised crime syndicates follows the success of last year’s organised crime task force ‘Operation Ironside’.

Operation Ironside has seen 383 alleged offenders charged with more than 2,340 offences, 42 of these offenders have plead guilty or have been sentenced. 

The operation was also responsible for the seizure of 6.3 tonnes of illegal drugs, 147 weapons and $55 million.

Assistant Commissioner Ryan said a number of ‘Ndrangheta members were located and charged through Operation Ironside. 

“During Operation Ironside, law enforcement charged a number of ‘Ndrangheta members, some who were taking their orders from bosses in Calabria,” he said.

 “The ‘Ndrangheta are flooding Australia with illicit drugs and are pulling the strings of Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs, who are behind some of the most significant violence in our communities.”

Assistant Commissioner Ryan said the AFP plans to dismantle syndicates by “attacking their finances”.

“One of the keys to disrupting the trafficking of illicit drugs involves dismantling the money laundering organisations that move and legitimise drug profits. And as we did in Operation Ironside, we continue to target the communications platforms being used to plan their criminality,” he said.

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