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.
Skase begged for cash from prison toilet phone
Christopher Skase begged his family and friends for money to fund his legal case from the toilet of his prison cell on a smuggled mobile phone, as his son-in-law has revealed the desperate measures the disgraced businessman took to try to get back on his feet.
How police cracked secret bikie drug code
Police were listening intently to brutal Comanchero puppet gang The Last Kings phone calls and text messages to foil an ambush on a Doreen property in 2016, when they picked up on a secret lingo. Here’s how the cops decoded the bikie drug code.
TV medium puts amateur psychic detectives to test
“You need to come back now. You need to let the murder go,” urges TV psychic Lisa Williams. The woman is in a “full trance” and looks distressed, as if she’s having trouble breathing, as she and other Australians mediums investigate a death.
The downfall of Victoria’s most colourful crook
A bandit and a gunman with a joker’s streak, Christopher ‘Badness’ Binse robbed banks and money guards and has fired nearly as many gunshots as he has jibes towards police. The serial escape artist became one of Victoria’s most notorious career crims. NEW LIFE & CRIMES PODCAST — LISTEN NOW.
How cowardly mass killer reacted to swift justice
As the jury foreman recited “guilty” firmly and loudly 33 times and the scene played out to its inevitable conclusion, mass murderer James Gargasoulas looked as docile and vacant as a circus bear, writes Andrew Rule.
The bikie boss with a bounty on his head
COMANCHEROS bikie boss Mick Murray is expected to walk from jail within weeks. But the powerful figure has some formidable enemies — and things have changed on the outside while he’s been doing his time.
Fatal question behind Silk-Miller murders
JASON Roberts knows exactly who murdered police officers Gary Silk and Rodney Miller. He always has. But with his plea of innocence headed back to the Supreme Court, the case ultimately comes down to one question.
How power vacuum weakened Rebels empire
THE Rebels may well have grown into the biggest outlaw bikie gang in the country. But with leaders either dead or deported, the club is struggling to recover from a power vacuum — and internal power struggles have weakened their criminal empire.
From Gasp fashion queen to international fugitive
AS A director at popular fashion label Gasp, Qiu Shan Lian rubbed shoulders with celebrities and lived in a swanky mansion on Melbourne’s bayside. Now she appears blank-faced and glamour-free on the Interpol website as an unlikely international fugitive.
Man behind the Chopper mask
LIKE most crooks, Chopper Read was a lying and manipulative egotist. He was also intelligent, funny and hadn’t been raised to be a criminal. This is the Chopper I knew, writes Andrew Rule.
What it’s really like to go to prison
WIL Patterson cried himself to sleep on his first night in prison after going from suburban Melbourne dad to living with murderers. But despite witnessing a brutal shiv stabbing, he says he wouldn’t be afraid to go back to jail.
Inside our outlaw bikie gangs
VICTORIA’S outlaw bikie scene has seen old leaders toppled and a new set of bosses ushered in. And while they may be retreating back beneath the radar, the new breed of bikies remains armed and dangerous.
Syd and Chopper, a tale of two idiots
CHOPPER Read and Syd Collins were linked by a thick headed criminality that would be funny it wasn’t so threatening, writes Andrew Rule.
Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/behindthescenes/page/4