Australian police arrest suspected mastermind behind global criminal network

Canberra, Sep 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have conducted raids across the country after infiltrating a messaging platform used for criminal communications.

The AFP on Tuesday carried out raids in the states of New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA) as part of Operation Kraken, making 38 arrests and seizing 205 kilograms of illegal drugs, 25 weapons and $811,381 in cash, Xinhua news agency reported.

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

The AFP alleges Jung launched the platform in 2015 and has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his transactions. He has been charged with aiding and abetting a criminal organization and dealing in suspected criminal money and cryptocurrency offences.

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

“Threats of murder, threats of harm, feints and criminals who want to harm people.”

She confirmed that criminal organisations and motorcycle gangs are among the criminal organisations using Ghost, and that partner organisations abroad are taking police action.

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

According to AFP, the arrests of six men in NSW have led to the end of a criminal network that used Ghost to organise the importation of illegal drugs into Australia.

The six men have been charged with a total of 43 crimes.

Source: IANS

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