An international law enforcement operation against organised criminal activity has resulted in mass arrests and struck what the Australian prime minister describes as a "heavy blow" against crime gangs. More than 100 organised crime members have been arrested in Australia as part of the operation, initiated after the United States' FBI decrypted "Anom", an online communications platform used by gang figures. The communications found on the platform included 21 murder plots, gun distribution and mass drug trafficking, federal police say. Offenders are linked to the Australian-based Italian mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, Asian crime syndicates and Albanian organised crime figures. "Illicit drug use ruins lives and fuels organised crime."

Source: Otago Daily Times June 08, 2021 00:00 UTC