\u201cThey\u2019ll never know it was you who spoke up.\u201d That\u2019s the message from Crime Stoppers as it launches a national campaign designed to shine a spotlight on organised crime syndicates involved in the illicit drug trade.<\/p>\n
Crime Stoppers Australia Chair, Dr Vince Hughes, said people linked to the illicit drug trade often reach a point where they become concerned for their personal safety or that of their family and look for a way out \u2013 and Crime Stoppers gives them a lifeline to anonymously share what they know.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Australians are high consumers of illicit drugs, the trade provides a highly lucrative and profitable market for organised criminal networks such as outlaw motorcycle gangs, cartels, triads and Italian organised crime. In fact, with the illicit drug trade estimated to be worth more than $10 billion per year the profits they make are now the lifeblood of their illegal activities,\u201d Dr Hughes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose profits are often used to fund other illegal activity, including human trafficking and sexual servitude, and many of the violence experienced in Australian suburbs can be directly linked to illicit drug trafficking activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur campaign has been funded by the Australian Government through a Proceeds of Crime Act grant, which is using $3.55 million from seized criminal assets to turn the tables on organised crime and help law enforcement unsettle domestic drug markets and disrupt national and international supply chains.\u201d<\/p>\n
Independent research commissioned by Crime Stoppers found that drugs remain the number one crime of concern for all Australians, with recent wastewater testing results confirming methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin as the most dominant illicit drugs used in the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some way, every Australian family has been impacted by drugs; whether that\u2019s losing a loved one to addiction, the 1 in 10 people who\u2019ve been a victim of an illicit drug-related incident, or indirectly affected because of the significant health and social costs to the community,\u201d Dr Hughes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand some people who may be in, or linked to, the drug trade may not want to deal directly with police. Crime Stoppers provides the perfect option for anyone who has information because they can anonymously share what they know without needing to get involved or risk their own safety,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The 6-month campaign, developed in consultation with police, industry groups and other law enforcement agencies, also engages the transport, freight and logistics sectors. These are common channels to import and transport illicit drugs, with organised crime groups often corrupting or intimidating employees of these key sectors or placing criminal associates into the workforce.<\/p>\n
The campaign includes extensive advertising and will be supported by grassroots engagement through a series of community and industry events delivered by Crime Stoppers across Australia.<\/p>\n
More about the campaign can be found at www.crimestoppers.com.au\/campaign\/illicit-drugs\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThey\u2019ll never know it was you who spoke up.\u201d That\u2019s the message from Crime Stoppers as it launches a national campaign designed to shine a spotlight on organised crime syndicates involved in the illicit drug trade. Crime Stoppers Australia Chair, Dr Vince Hughes, said people linked to the illicit drug trade often reach a point […]<\/p>\n