AFP nabbing criminals sneaking between states on fake IDs

Airline staff at Perth Airport cancelled a man’s flight after realising he was using two names. He fled without waiting for his suitcase - here’s what they found inside it.

Crooks are increasingly using fake IDs to board aircraft and move between states for dodgy dealings, prompting the AFP to step up security at airports across Australia and warn those caught could be jailed.

AFP Commander Aviation Craig Bellis told news.com.au there has been an increase this year of people travelling with someone else’s boarding pass, people buying tickets in their own name for another person’s travel and people paying for flights on stolen credit cards.

In one case a man allegedly travelling under a fake name was nabbed at Perth airport with $1.1 million in a suitcase.

He came under suspicion when he allegedly tried to use a credit card – differing in detail to his boarding pass – to pay an excess baggage fee for the suitcase.

Airline staff refused the payment and advised the man his flight booking was cancelled. He allegedly exited the terminal without waiting for his suitcase to be returned, before catching a flight to Sydney on a different airline later that day.

The AFP charged a man after finding more than $1 million in cash in a suitcase at Perth Airport. Picture: AFP

The cash left in a suitcase at an Australian airport. Picture: AFP

The AFP was alerted about the abandoned suitcase and attended to examine it with a dog trained to detect currency, firearms and drugs.

The dog indicated the contents of the suitcase were suspicious and, upon opening the suitcase, the AFP allegedly found $1,102,440 million cash wrapped in plastic bundles.

The man was charged with one count of engage in conduct in relation to money, worth $1,000,000 or more, that is proceeds of general crime. His case remains before the courts.

The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years’ imprisonment.

In a separate case a Brisbane man has been charged with allegedly making a threatening statement while onboard an aircraft, and travelling under a false name.

Police allege the man was speaking on his mobile phone while on a plane before takeoff from Sydney Airport when he made reference to a bomb.

Police warn they are cracking down on people carrying out crimes and moving around states on fake identification: AFP

AFP Commander Aviation Craig Bell says passengers using fake IDs to travel around the country are usually doing so for dodgy reasons. Picture: AFP

Officers escorted the man off the plane before discovering he was travelling under a fake name. Following a search of the aircraft, it was determined there was no bomb threat.

His case also remains before the courts.

The maximum penalty for these offences, respectively, is one year imprisonment and a $16,500 fine.

AFP Commander Aviation Craig Bellis said passengers used false identities to travel interstate for myriad reasons, the majority far from innocent.

“One factor the AFP sees during investigations of this nature is the fraudulent use of identity

documents to facilitate criminal activity in other Australian states or territories,” Commander Bellis said.

“There are members of the community who are not permitted to leave their respective states, for various reasons, and if these people are attempting to do so, they are breaking the law.

Law enforcers warn travelling with fake identification or tickets in someone elses name are criminal offences. Picture: Richard Dobson

“This can be a deliberate attempt to conceal their identities to make it harder for authorities to identify those persons of interest in ongoing criminal investigations.

“That’s why it’s essential to know who is travelling on our domestic flights and where they are

heading.

“The AFP is working to identify and disrupt potential threats.”

The AFP has a presence at nine airports around the country, being Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

This includes active patrols by AFP officers, who work closely with airport security teams to identify people suspected of travelling under false identities.