Drug users could fund terror
Drug users could be unwittingly funding terrorism, with a new report finding links between drug gangs and terrorist organisations.
• Terror funding crackdown to ‘kill local businesses’
Organised criminal syndicates are laundering money through terror groups, who take a cut of profits from Australia’s lucrative drug trade, according to Australian Crime Commission chief executive Chris Dawson.
The ACC’s Organised Crime in Australia 2015 report, released on Wednesday, reveals its efforts will be directed at the “evolving challenges posed by the nexus between organised crime and terrorism over the next two years”.
“The large profits available in Australia’s illicit drug markets are a strong motivator for organised crime groups to develop the capability to corrupt in order to facilitate access to those markets,” the report reads.
“As well, corrupt officials may also assist in the money laundering process—for instance, by providing false identification documents or visas.”
— with AAP