Busted: How a bikie gang’s drug mule transported $350,000 cash inside a hi-tech secret car safe
Ingle Farm man Allan Michael Speck was a bikie drug mule – until he unwittingly led police to a $350,000 stash of drug money being transported in an ingenious and hi-tech way.
Behind the Scenes
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At first glance, it looked just like the rear compartment of any normal family runabout.
But beneath the space usually taken by bags of groceries or kids sport gear, the Holden Captiva was being used for far more sinister purposes.
Hidden within a custom-built concealed compartment, the black Captiva was being used to transport vast quantities of cash generated from the sale of methamphetamines.
In all likelihood, the black Captiva – and another silver one that shared an identical concealed compartment – were also used to distribute kilograms of the deadly drug after large shipments were successfully smuggled into South Australia by an organised crime syndicate.
Closely linked to the Descendants bikie gang, the syndicate has been the target of a major police operation – dubbed Jarmo – for the past two years that has resulted in large amounts of methamphetamines and more than $1 million in cash being seized.
Despite this success, it is suspected the syndicate has successfully imported vast quantities of the drug that have been sold in Adelaide and distributed across Australia.
Operation Jarmo has also resulted in multiple convictions for offences including drug trafficking, money laundering, dealing with the proceeds of crime and firearms breaches – with the latest revealing the sophisticated method used by the syndicate to transport its cash and drugs.
Ingle Farm man Allan Michael Speck, a “mule’’ employed by the syndicate, has pleaded guilty in the District Court to trafficking in a controlled drug and dealing with the proceeds of crime after detectives discovered $350,000 in cash and 72 grams of methamphetamines hidden in the concealed compartments of the two Captivas.
Speck, 37, was under police surveillance in August 2018 when he left his Aragon Rd house in a silver Captiva. He was followed to a property on Thompson St at Dry Creek – which adjoins the Descendants clubhouse – and was seen to obtain keys to the building from a key box and enter it, remaining inside for 10 minutes before leaving.
The next day police raided both Speck’s Ingle Farm home and the Thompson St property. At Speck’s home detectives found $12,405 in cash, a money counting machine and weapons including a knuckle duster, expandable baton, metal throwing stars, a butterfly knife and 12 throwing knives.
Examination of the silver Captiva he was driving revealed a carefully constructed hidden compartment beneath the rear seats of the vehicle. It could only be opened using a concealed switch under the dashboard that operated a hydraulic arm inside the compartment.
After wedging the door of compartment open detectives found a plastic bag containing 72 grams of pure methamphetamine worth $36,300. Speck’s DNA was found on the switch operating the compartment lid, inside the compartment and on the plastic bag.
When detectives arrived at the Thompson St property, two men – one of them closely linked to a key player in the syndicate – were present, but left after their Toyota HiLux and telephones were searched.
A black Captiva was located inside the building and a locksmith was called to open the vehicle. A search revealed a concealed compartment the same as the one in the Captiva Speck was driving.
After opening the compartment police found five plastic shopping bags containing bundles of cash. All up there was $350,615 in the shopping bags. Speck’s DNA was found inside the compartment, on some of the shopping bags and on many of the rubber bands securing the cash.
In sentencing Speck, Judge Geraldine Davison said a prosecution submission was that his offending was committed as part of a wider drug trafficking enterprise – one that was not disputed by Speck.
“The location where the money was found is next to the clubhouse of an outlaw motorcycle gang,’’ Judge Davison stated.
“It was your submission that you were being used as a ‘patsy’ to keep the risk at arm’s length from the larger criminal enterprise.’’
Judge Davison said the money laundering offending was “objectively serious’’ and the prosecution submitted that Speck had taken the $350,000 cash to the Dry Creek premises and had hidden it inside the black Captiva “as instructed by others’’
“While the precise level of authority that you held within the wider syndicate is not known, it is telling that you were entrusted with such significant sums of money and were able to access the property and vehicle unaccompanied by others.’’
Speck is well-known to police for serious drug offending. In 2013 he was convicted by a jury of trafficking methamphetamines and was sentenced to two years and three months, which was then suspended.
Judge Davison, who said Speck became involved with the outlaw bikie gang while volunteering at a tattoo studio, sentenced him to four years and two months for the trafficking and money laundering offences with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.
“This is not street-level dealing in drugs. Organisations involved in such serious offences depend on each person in the scheme undertaking their role. As such, it is important to deter others from engaging in activities of this nature,’’ Judge Davison told Speck.
Australian Federal Police central command Acting Superintendent Gavin Stone said Speck’s arrest was part of a continued crackdown on methamphetamines trafficking in SA being conducted by SA’s National Anti-Gangs Squad, which comprises the AFP, SA Police and the Australian Taxation Office.
“The hidden compartments in the two vehicles were intricate and complex, which indicate the drug enterprise he was involved with is well-resourced and highly organised,’’ he said.
“Our message to organised crime is simple – you should be nervous. The AFP is using the full breadth of our resources, our intelligence, and our partnerships, to pick criminals off one by one.’’
Acting Superintendent Stone said the amount of cash seized provided an insight into the amount of money involved in the illicit drug trade.
“Organised crime syndicates are making a significant profit at the expense of our communities. We should all remember the misery that money represents,’’ he said.
“Money spent by South Australians on illicit drugs is money that is not being used by families to support children, or pay rent.
“Stripping organised crime of their expected profits is a key strategy used by the AFP and our partners to cause maximum disruption to these illegal ventures.
“Not only does it stop criminals living the high life at the expense of vulnerable people, it ensures the money is not used to fund other illegal activities – including more drug importations.’’
Originally published as Busted: How a bikie gang’s drug mule transported $350,000 cash inside a hi-tech secret car safe