AFP seizes $500m in money and assets from suspected criminals

The success of the Australian Federal Police-led unit in charge of seizing suspected criminal assets has been revealed in eye-watering detail. SEE CONFISCATED ITEMS.

Exclusive: A diamond ring, a $4.5m townhouse, a small plane and $6m cash are among a half-billion-dollar Aladdin’s Cave of treasures seized from suspected criminals in the past three years.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has revealed the success of the Australian Federal Police-led Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce in seizing vehicles, properties and cash from alleged drug-traffickers, money-launderers and child sex offenders.

Among the items seized as suspected illegally acquired wealth are an enormous diamond ring, seized from a property in Perth as part of the world-first Operation Ironside sting, in which police used the Trojan horse encrypted app AN0M to trick criminals into exchanging supposedly secret information about their criminal enterprises.

A townhouse in NSW worth $4.5m has been restrained – along with a $250,000 Mercedes parked in the driveway.

A restrained aircraft which had been used for trafficking illegal firearms. Picture: Australian Federal Police

A Cessna light aircraft worth $250,000 was seized in Queensland, while a powerful motorboat worth $850,000 was also restrained in NSW.

In Western Australia, an incredible stash of $50 and $100 notes totalling $6m was also seized by police, while back in NSW, two motorbikes worth a total of $65,000 were taken from a suspected senior member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

In an announcement four days before the Federal Election, Ms Andrews revealed the taskforce had restrained more than $290m in houses and commercial properties, $180m in cash and moneys held in bank accounts, and $30m in cars, boats and cryptocurrencies.

Alleged criminals’ luxury baubles such as jewellery, designer watches and handbags were also seized.

Most of the assets were taken from alleged drug and firearms traffickers, fraudsters, money-launderers and child sex offenders.

Ms Andrews said the Morrison government had boosted the Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce by $30m in the last Budget, turbocharging its ability to go after more crooks and their ill-gotten gains.

Since 2019, AFP’s Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) has seized $180m in cash and bank accounts. Picture: Australian Federal Police

“Since 2013, the Coalition has invested more than $209m of proceeds of crime back into Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, to support key crime prevention and law enforcement initiatives,’’ she said.

“And we’ve also pumped criminals’ illicit wealth back to the community, with more than $200m in Safer Communities grants funded through the proceeds of crime – using criminal dollars to keep our communities safe.’’

Ms Andrews said the taskforce was also hunting criminal assets overseas, with more than $200m in assets during restrained.

The taskforce brings together the resources and expertise of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Taxation Office, AUSTRAC, and Australian Border Force to trace, restrain and ultimately confiscate criminal assets.

“Under the Morrison government’s leadership, the AFP recently committed to setting up organised crime strike teams across the country to target illicit drug and firearm trafficking, money laundering and other serious crime, like mafia, triads, and bikies,’’ Ms Andrews said.

“Ensuring our community and borders are protected is a priority for the Morrison government – that’s why the AFP’s funding has increased to a record $1.7bn.’’

Ms Andrews said this was in contrast to the last time Labor was in government, when they “raided the accounts of our law enforcement agencies to prop up their budget bottom line.’’