Fifteen WA men, including the alleged president of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, have been charged by federal police, after more than $4.37 million of suspected illicit assets, four firearms and almost 19 kilograms of illicit drugs were seized.
Operation Kraken has been running since March, and has resulted in 15 men in the state being charged, in a global take-down of the encrypted communications platform named Ghost.
The AFP started targeting Ghost in 2022.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Last week, police arrested and charged the patched Hells Angels member, 52, after stopping his 2011 Mercedes-Benz G wagon in Fremantle.
They allegedly found $10,000 cash and more than 55 grams of cocaine during a search of the car. They then allegedly found another $4600 cash and steroids when they searched his Piara Waters home.
The AFP and state police in WA, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide executed multiple search warrants last week as part of investigations into intelligence obtained through the AFP’s infiltration of Ghost.
They established Operation Kraken after developing a covert solution to access data on the Ghost handsets, including messages that had been sent and received.
The AFP alleges serious organised criminals have been using Ghost in Australia for about nine years to help import, traffic and manufacture illicit drugs, launder money and organise violent crimes.
Western Australia Police acting Assistant Commissioner State Crime Gordon Fairman said encrypted platforms were constantly being used by organised crime syndicate
“They are using these encrypted platforms to distribute drugs and guns in our community and to launder their illicit profits,” he said.
