The Fasta Pasta connection: How police smashed SA-Qld drug syndicate
In 2017 almost 40 boxes were mailed from Adelaide to Fasta Pasta in Cairns. Why? And what was inside those boxes?
Behind The Scenes
Retiring DNA dynamo leaves SA with crime-cracking database
The man behind the development of DNA as major crime fighting tool for police is retiring, just as SA’s database reaches new levels of success.
Sydney man’s threat to kill woman and her baby
A man from Sydney’s west faces jail after using threats, coercion and deception to force a woman and child to leave Australia in a bid to revoke her visa.
Most dangerous female inmate would ‘bash her head in’
The officers who saw Australia’s most dangerous female inmate stab another prisoner to death have never recovered. Listen to their story. Warning: Graphic
‘Constant pain’: Ex-Myer model jailed over Bali drug bust
Former Myer model Jed Texas will do time in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison for possessing $60 worth of marijuana, which he claimed he needed to use for his anxiety.
Prison slang quiz: What’s a brick?
Think you’ve got what it takes to talk like an inmate? As part of our new On Guard prison podcast series, we put your knowledge of jailhouse lingo to the test.
Prison slang quiz: What’s a foil boil?
Think you’ve got what it takes to talk like an inmate? As part of our new On Guard podcast series, we put your knowledge of jailhouse lingo to the test.
Inside the world of an undercover Mafia-busting cop
A legendary undercover cop, whose exploits inspired the Underbelly TV show, has revealed the tricks of his trade – and how they duped the NCA bombing suspect.
Drone used to drop drugs into Barwon Prison
A package filled with drugs, a knife, security tools and tech gear has been dropped via drone into Victoria’s most notorious prison. Here’s how.
Notorious SA paedophile dies in prison
One of South Australia’s most notorious paedophiles has died in prison, just two years after he made a final bid for release into the community.
‘Load of crap’: Son walks free as body still missing
He killed his own mother, shockingly calling her “a waste of space… a bogan… an ugly bitch”. Now, despite her body never having been found, he is set to walk free – and her family are furious.
COVID hits Aussie paedo, drug dealer in Bali jail
Two Australians locked up in Bali have contracted the deadly coronavirus and forced into a cramped isolation wing with hundreds of infected men.
Customs officers secretly given search powers
More than 20 Australian Border Force officers have been secretly given federal police powers — allowing them to execute search warrants — in a hugely controversial move.
The double lives of SA’s criminals exposed
From cops to footy coaches and doctors – they appeared to the world as everyday people. Find out what happened when their double lives were uncovered.
Tourist ‘faked death’ for sun and sand
A French tourist who faked his own death at a notorious suicide spot could now be living in Queensland because he hated “cold old raining France”, the former lead detective on the case believes.
The Melbourne cop who helped catch murderer Martin Bryant
Former Victorian SOG officer Don Stokes will never forget the moment he stared into mass murderer Martin Bryant’s “crazy, lifeless eyes” as they took him down for the Port Arthur massacre, with the cold-blooded killer screaming revenge.
Aussie spy taking on ISIS extremists unmasked
One of Australia’s leading counter terrorist operatives has been revealed as the secret agent stopping ISIS supporters and plotters from using Australian courts to combat moves to boot them out.
‘Muscling up’: Top cop gives officers new marching orders
After years of being dubbed the “plastics” for not doing real police work, new AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw says his top cops will outsmart serious, organised crims and hit them where it hurts as he shakes up the federal agency.
Was officer Pratt a ‘martyr or a mug’?
At just 21, off-duty police officer Michael Pratt didn’t think twice about thwarting a trio of armed bandits as they entered a Clifton Hill bank, ramming his Mazda at the doors and earning himself a bullet in the back and a bravery medal in the process.
Gay police officer’s new move after $1.5m legal stoush
A NSW police officer who claimed the force had a toxic culture of homophobia after he was sacked for taking recreational drugs has revealed what he’ll do next after a five-year legal battle.
Why this woman is a drug dealer’s worst nightmare
Drug kingpins be warned - your days of hiding behind street-level dealers could be numbered thanks to the work of forensic scientist Dr Marie Morelato whose research can track seized drugs back to their source. FIND OUT HOW
Queensland’s worst drug suburbs exposed
Queensland drug dealers are brazenly using Instagram to ply their trade, even offering users free drop off or pick up of illicit substances. SEE THE LIST OF SUBURBS
Nowhere to hide: Police move to shut down bikie lairs
This suburban industrial unit was a haven for Descendants bikies – until police dismantled it using tough anti-gang laws. Now two other bikie HQs are being targeted.
Inside the raid: Pisasale’s seedy sex gear exposed
When investigators searched the office of celebrity-status mayor Paul Pisasale, they found more than just his short black coffee cup collection. There was also a bag under his desk containing some surprising items.
Facebook move that will allow sex predators to groom children
Australia’s Federal Police have lashed out at Facebook over plans they claim will “severely curtail” their ability to track down child molesters.
Top cop: Locking your doors won’t protect your kids from predators
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw has revealed how police are catching sex predators by cracking down on their assets. But he said parents also need to do their part.
The cases this former crash investigator will never forget
Police officers often remain matter-of-fact about the tragic and often grisly things they see and do on the job. One officer recounts the worst cases he witnessed during his long career in the road accident squad.
Busted: How drug syndicate transported their secret stash
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.
Crime clear-up rate much worse than we think
It’s the true story behind crime statistics that police don’t want you to know. It’s even resulted in defendants being awarded thousands in compensation.
How stuntman’s crew stole a fortune from Holden
A $334,000 seizure order has been slapped on the luxury home of famous stuntman Robbie Bolger, ringleader of the syndicate that stole $2 million in parts from Holden’s Elizabeth factory. For the first time we tell the full extraordinary story behind the heist.
Fake lawyer the most bizarre case detective has ever seen
Sarah Grasso tricked family, friends, even legitimate lawyers, into believing she was a barrister by sneaking into uni lectures and faculty social events, and awarding herself fake degrees, leaving a manipulative trail of bounced cheques and debt in her wake.
Security fail lets crims lurk to steal taxpayers’ data
Australia’s government departments of Defence, Health and Home Affairs are risking their websites being hijacked by criminals, who want taxpayers’ private data. This is how it works.`
How cop’s cheeky marijuana crop note solved a different crime
When Drug Squad detectives seized a thriving marijuana crop in the hills of Healesville in 1971, Graeme ‘Hondo’ Henderson left a note for the hapless crooks who’d grown it — and it would wind up in a bizarre location two years later.
Secret stockpile of super strength MDMA for Australia
Deadly super strength ecstasy pills will hit Australian shores once lockdowns end. We reveal how manufacturers in the Netherlands are doing it amid fresh global calls for local pill testing.
Cocaine dealers’ new move as prices skyrocket to $750 a gram
Coronavirus has forced criminals to rethink their supply channels, with global transport restrictions making the movement of illicit drugs harder, and driving up the price of cocaine and MDMA.
‘Bomb making’: ISIS Bali terror suspect caught
Indonesian authorities have arrested a suspected terrorist on the paradise island of Bali, where his evil plot involved bomb making tutorials as well as sharing radical content and videos about ISIS.
COVID-19 fails to curb Aussie terror threat
The pandemic has not diminished the “probable” likelihood of a terror attack in Australia, security and law enforcement chiefs have revealed, as extremists continue to recruit vulnerable youths.
Qantas handler-turned-terrorist faces new orders out of Supermax
Authorities will keep tabs on one of Australia’s most notorious terrorists, DIY jihadi Bilal Khazal, after his release from a Supermax prison amid concerns that he still backs al-Qaeda.
The suppressed evidence that ‘swung’ rape trial
Civil libertarian Terry O’Gorman wants a far-reaching inquiry into police evidence disclosure after a second case where previously suppressed evidence led to an acquittal, writes Des Houghton.
Cops’ massive breakthrough in Aussie assassins probe
Police divers have been given a vital tip that’s taken them to the bottom of Sydney Harbour to find Australia’s first ever political assassins, whose crime is also linked to a deadly Melbourne bombing.
Baby formula, ‘dirty’ cash found in $1.2m Chinese shopper bust
Three men were arrested and more than a million dollars in cash packed into cooler bags was seized by the Australian Federal Police after a raid on an alleged money-laundering syndicate operating in the suburbs.
Loose lips sink Aussie drug kingpin’s smuggling operation
This is how a suspected drug smuggler, an off-duty cop and the unguarded chat about a Customs official helped expose a multimillion-dollar drug syndicate raided in Queensland.
Bikie blood: Cops’ counter-attack on evil gang invaders
Drug rings, violence, kidnappings – Brisbane is under attack as three of Australia’s most notorious bikie gangs stake their claim in the city’s criminal underbelly. But they may have met their match, with a crack team of cops launching an all-out counter-attack against the invaders.
DNA blitz throws open hundreds of cold cases
Human bones found in back yards, bushland and even the bellies of sharks will be analysed in a DNA blitz that could lead to criminal investigations.
‘Reckless’: China blasts Australia
China has slammed Australia as ‘reckless’ and intentionally provocative, in response to Australia’s declaration that China’s territorial claims over the South China Seas are illegal.
Bikie walked into Hells Angels clubhouse and never walked out
Nestled in a quiet industrial estate, the Hells Angels Thomastown clubhouse has been the focus of intense law enforcement interest for more than two decades. Now police suspect bikie apprentice Kerry Giakoumis walked in one day and was carried out the next.
Aussie prison mum hires Corby’s bodyguard
Schapelle Corby’s bodyguard is in a race against time to travel to Bali to help escort fellow Australian prisoner Sara Connor to freedom.
Why Falconio’s killer will take secrets to grave
Almost 20 years have passed but Bradley John Murdoch, the convicted murderer of British backpacker Peter Falconio, is still tormenting his victims.
Was Beechworth Bob’s death really an accident?
When the ultralight plane flown by drug cook Bob Slusarczyk crashed, it was both a tragic end to his birthday flight and a handy coincidence for the bent police he may have been minded to dob on. NEW PODCAST
Forensic psychiatrist may answer for tell-all book
A forensic psychiatrist whose revelations traumatised the mother of a murder victim may have a case of professional misconduct to answer, an investigation has found.
Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/behindthescenes/page/4