Three people charged after raid at Springvale pokies venue

Detectives have swooped on a crime gang suspected of buying pokies jackpots worth millions of dollars in a major money-laundering operation.

A crime gang bought jackpots worth $4.7m from punters in a massive pokies money laundering operation.

Detectives on Tuesday carried out warrants at the Greyhounds Entertainment venue in Springvale where it is alleged syndicate members were buying big prizes at a premium from poker machine winners.

The jackpot would then be collected in the form of a cheque issued under the name of the syndicate member.

That cheque would be deposited into a bank account as legitimate winnings to complete the laundering process.

The raid was carried out on Tuesday. Picture: Brendan Beckett

The AFP said about 73 per cent of the cheques were issued to a small cluster of people who are allegedly linked to the syndicate.

Intelligence from covert operatives and CCTV footage will form part of the case against suspects.

Three people, a local businesswoman and two pensioners, were arrested on Tuesday morning as part of the Australian Federal Police’s operation Avarus Arvon.

Warrants were carried out at homes in Springvale South and Noble Park.

The investigation will involve a review of CCTV footage. Picture: Brendan Beckett

It’s alleged the crime gang bought jackpots worth $4.7m from punters. Picture: Max Fleet

A 49-year-old Springvale South woman and a man, 63, and woman, 61, from Noble Park were also arrested and charged with dealing in money suspected of being the proceeds of crime and engaging in conduct in relation to money or property that was the proceeds of crime.

Gold bullion and $170,000 cash were allegedly found at the Springvale South property.

The 12-month operation also involved officials from Austrac, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission and the National Australia Bank.

The style of money-laundering scheme has been used in gambling venues before but rarely at the scale alleged.

Three people were arrested on Tuesday.

Some of the cash and gold seized in the raids.

There have been previous instances of organised crime figures buying big winning tickets at suburban TABs to clean their cash.

Those charged will appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

AFP acting Assistant Commissioner Raegan Stewart said pokies venues could not turn a blind eye to criminal activity.

“Money laundering is the backbone of organised crime activity,” he said.

“Money is the sole reason organised crime exists and targeting how these groups get their ill-gotten profits into legitimate financial systems is a key priority for the AFP.”

Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission chief executive Annette Kimmitt said a dedicated team of investigators and analysts reviewed data and security camera footage at the venue, and conducted covert operations, before referring the case to the AFP and AUSTRAC.

The trio facing charges are due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

“We are watching the gambling industry closely and we will work with other agencies to actively pursue and shut down criminal activity,” she said.

AUSTRAC national manager Jon Brewer said the arrests were a “timely reminder that money laundering can occur in any business without robust controls”.

The AFP said NAB provided crucial information to assist the investigation.

A recent campaign by national financial crimes watchdog AUSTRAC has seen a massive spike in pubs and clubs reporting suspected money laundering through pokies machines.

Before the campaign, 72 Victorian venues reported more than 400 suspected money launderers to the agency, which works closely with state and federal police forces.

The Herald Sun last week revealed suspected criminals were suspected to be laundering up to $50,000 in a single sitting, often by buying up jackpot tickets.

Police also use reports of suspected money launders to target other offences, such as drug dealing and dealing with the proceeds of crime.