Australian Federal Police Apprehends West Australian Man Involved in Illicit Courier Activities

Australian Federal Police has arrested a West Australian man, aged 26, for his involvement in illicit courier, moving a significant amount of funds across Perth believed by police to be the proceeds of criminal activities. The man is sentenced to four years imprisonment for moving proceeds of illicit activities.

The Perth District Court, on January 16, 2024, announced a sentence including six months imprisonment for the individual’s refusal to allow investigators to access his mobile devices upon his arrest in December 2022, as per AFP media release.

The police arrested the person, who was 25 at that time, after monitoring his suspicious activities for a few weeks. The surveillance revealed his regular visits to parks, bushland areas, and isolated car parks at late night for brief periods.

AFP seeks to prevent criminals from making gains at the expense of the community or facilitating other criminal activities. Heath Cockram, AFP Detective Acting Inspector reportedly stated, “Anyone working for criminal syndicates plays an important role in helping them to cause harm”

He further stated,

“The AFP, with state and Commonwealth law enforcement partners, is working hard to make Australia a hostile environment for serious organised crime and bring to justice anyone involved in these illegal activities”

Legal Actions and Imposed Sentences

In December 2022, during a search at his home in Alexander Heights, police seized a total of $3,650,330 in cash.  The cash was found in his bedroom, distributed among locked suitcases, locked tool bags, and a drawer in the cupboard. The police further reported that the cash was packed in plastic heat-sealed wrapping.

It was further reported that despite being unemployed, the man had cash in his bedroom, and conducted various transactions from $250 to around $2500 in the months prior.

On 28 July 2023, the man was pleaded guilty and charged with two crimes.

The man was accused of a single offense of handling funds valued at approximately $1 million and exhibiting negligence toward potential connection with criminal proceeds, as per section 400.3(2) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth). The highest penalty for this violation is 12 years imprisonment.

The man was alleged with a charge of non-compliance with an order, as stated in section 3LA (6) of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth). The highest penalty for this offense is 10 years imprisonment.

The man was sentenced to three and half years in prison for the offense involving the proceeds of crime and an additional six months for violating the 3LA order.

In March 2023, the AFP organized a multi-agency task force, Avarus, to target criminals who are laundering tens of billions of dollars in Australia. By leveraging the power of AFP, AUSTRAC, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and the Australian Border Force, Avarus is working to decode the sophisticated strategies criminals use to conceal their illicit funds.

Also read: Australian Police Charges a Seven-membered Criminal Syndicate for Laundering $229 million