"The response by Pacific states and traditional partners must be rapid, proactiveand adaptive," the reportnoted. Our research can be found in: Hughes, C.E., Cowdery, N. & Ritter, A. The specific threshold quantities employed vary by drug type, by jurisdiction and whether they are measured in terms of the pure chemical compound of a drug (pure grams) or, more commonly, in terms of pure chemical and any inert substances and fillers that are added before sale on the street (mixed grams or admixtures). Australian drug trafficking laws: guilty until proven innocent? Concern is that without legal thresholds, there would be more opportunity for prosecutorial and sentencing abuse, leading to more adverse sentencing outcomes (such as sanctioning traffickers for simple possession or Mr Bigs with overly lenient terms). Melbourne crime figure Tony Mokbel has been taken to hospital in Geelong from Victoria's high-security . Drug Trafficking - United Nations and the Rule of Law It is one of the most critical challenges for customs, border, and law enforcement officials. The cases of several Australians potentially facing the death penalty in China for drug trafficking are centred around the southern province of Guangdong, a notorious hub for methamphetamine . For MDMA, under typical conditions, most users again reported consuming less than the thresholds. Accordingly, training enables the frontier guards to prepare for complex operations. To calculate Metric 1, raw data on all three samples (IDRS, EDRS and NDSHS) were used. Nicholas Cowdery is from the Faculty of Law, The University of New South Wales. Credit: Transnational serious organised crime groups are importing illicit drugs into Australia on an industrial scale, the AFP spokesperson said. Australia's illicit drug problem is getting worse | The Strategist In Fiscal Year 2020, CBP seized over 42,645 pounds of cocaine, 5,222 pounds of heroin, 324,973 pounds of marijuana, 156,901 pounds of methamphetamine, and 3,967 pounds of fentanyl. The AFP is working with our partners in impacted regions to mitigate any potential threats to the safety of people, or ongoing investigations.. They were arrested by the police from Brisbane on the charge of trafficking drugs hidden in a tube of hair dye on February 22. street value of $225 million, has been seized before getting to Australia. 1. This is particularly true for MDMA and for users in the states of New South Wales and South Australia. The United States and Australia cooperate in anti-drug! The largest Mr Sousa-Santos said this could be addressed by providing holistic support to integrate individuals being deported,including "drug rehabilitation, some type of vocational training, language and cultural training before going back". As noted above, Australia is in the minority of countries that specify quantities for distinguishing between drug offences with different penalty scales. Add languages. In another operation, the AFP identified 55 people as potentially involved in an Australian cartel run out of Perth. drug trafficking and terrorism. 2023. In this study, the authors use data on patterns of drug user consumption and purchasing to evaluate Australian legal threshold quantities to see whether Australian drug users are at risk of exceeding the thresholds for personal use alone. He said it was important "that we support initiatives back into the country to which they are being deported to ensure that they are able to integrate back into society". Colombia and Peru have alternated as the top . "Officials reported that the increase in drug offences indicated the growing presence of methamphetamine in the kingdomand[that] correlated with an increase in drug-related crime such as robberies and house break-ins," the report said. International Journal of Drug Policy, 84, 1-11. Malins, P. (2019). New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019 told Australia not to "deport your problems", saying the Australian government had to stop sendingconvicted criminals who had spent most of their lives in Australiaback to New Zealand. 4 Min Read. Hughes C & Ritter A in press. Guacamaya invites the peoples of Abya Yala (an Indigenous name for Central and South America) to hack and filter these systems of repression, domination and enslavement that dominate us, and that it be the peoples who decide to find a way to free us from state terrorism, their statement said. Findings from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS). Drug Trafficking, Selling and Cultivation | Commonwealth Director of Queensland, commonly known as one of Australia's most conservative states with historically harsh anti-drug laws, has recently eased off its punitive approach and proposed dramatic law reforms for personal drug use. The IDRS and EDRS are national monitoring systems that survey regular (at least monthly) drug users on an annual basis. Meanwhile, "narco-corruption" in the Pacific "compromised institutions and individuals across key agencies, such as customs, policeand immigration,and undermined the rule of law". Specific goals of relevance for this paper were to: The method replicated the approach of Hughes and Ritter (in press). The maximum penalty ranges from fines of 1000 penalty units to imprisonment for life, depending on the quantity of the drug. Such laws mean that possession of the trafficable threshold amount will constitute a presumption of trafficking placing the onus on the alleged offender to prove that the possessed amount was not for the purposes of trafficking (deemed supply). The cartel was sending smaller three-kilogram packages of cocaine which are hidden in products including pottery mud/make-up [and] using a crypto/cash office/s in Melbourne and Sydney to move money offshore, according to one email. Second, the methods by which existing quantitative thresholds have been devised have been largely ad hoc and non-transparent. Australian authorities shared intelligence with their Colombian counterparts relating to the kingpins distribution of methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin trafficked into Perth via criminal networks in the Middle East and South-East Asia. In conclusion, legal thresholds for drug trafficking have long been central to the Australian response to drug offenders, justified under goals of delivering proportionality and effective responses to those who inflict widespread sufferingdrug traffickers (MCCOC 1998b). To assist in this endeavour, all Australian states and territories have adopted legal thresholds that specify quantities of drugs over which offenders are either presumed to have possessed the drugs for the purposes of supply and liable to sanction as drug traffickers (up to 15 years imprisonment in most states), or in the case of Queensland, liable to sanctions equivalent to drug traffickers (up to 25 years imprisonment). Police estimate the meth's street value at $1.1 billion, which reflects the higher prices that Australians pay for illicit drugs than users do in many comparable countries. This indicates that Australian drug users are unlikely to exceed the trafficable threshold under normal circumstances, but that when using or purchasing their highest doses, many do exceed the thresholds. how these figures were setis not a calculation for which the workings are generally in the public domain, nor did some jurisdictions retain their workings out even in the private domain (Harris 2011b: 9). Government agencies in different states often disagree on whether to view illicit drugs as a health or criminal problem, and it is evidenced by different views on law enforcement and penalties imposed on drug offenders. By contrast, other states show that users are at risk of exceeding the thresholds across multiple drug types. The upper quantities were checked with a number of key experts (n=6) to verify if they were within the maximum range that could be consumed in a single continuous session of use without sleep. Stafford J & Burns L 2012. For both proponents and opponents concern is twofold. Moreover, when there is a suspicion that a certain person may be transporting narcotics, it produces a prompt response. However, the cooperation of frontier guards with the customs service and other state organizations represents an essential role in successfully implementing the preventive method. In conducting this work, five new metrics were developed and applied to evaluate drug trafficking threshold design, using Australian and international research evidence on drug user behaviour and drug markets. "Many times, these deportees have spent most of their lives outside of their countries of origin and have grown up in Australia, New Zealand or the US," Mr Sousa-Santos said. In 2011, Hughes and Ritter (in press) were commissioned by the Australian Capital Territory (Justice and Community Safety Directorate) to evaluate the current and proposed Model Criminal Code quantities. Key points: Thomas Booker was a police officer from 2014 to 2018. Resource Type: DPMP Bulletins, Working papers/discussion papers. Data on last purchase amount was extracted by state and drug type, dosage conversions applied, data cross-checked with experts and then estimates compared against the actual threshold quantities. Arrest in Thailand of second drug kingpin tightens dragnet on huge Storms threaten north-east United States after tearing through the south, leaving 10 dead, In Papua New Guinea, there are no laws that prohibit the production, sale or use of methamphetamines, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019 told Australia not to "deport your problems, 'Child abuse and broken families': Tonga weighing up death penalty in fight against drugs, Cocaine, meth use 'overwhelming' as Tongans head to the polls, Canberra coach Ricky Stuart slams NRL, RLPA following further concussion controversy, 'How dare they': Possum Magic author hits out at 'ridiculous' Roald Dahl edits, 'Dastardly and heinous crime': Philippines governor killed at home by unknown gunmen, Vanuatu hit by two cyclones and twin earthquakes in two days, Emily was studying law when she had to go to court. The examination is performed with the aid of specially trained dogs that smell narcotics. Caitlin Hughes, Alison Ritter and Benjamin Phillips are from the Drug Policy Modelling Program, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, The University of New South Wales. Production and trade of illicit drugs invariably have a wide variety of adverse socioeconomic and political effects. Addressing the issue of drug trafficking in Australia will also help to meet the economic interests of the wider Australian society, which contributes to another important category of stakeholders that is committed to fight this issue. StudyCorgi. However, most customs, border, law enforcement, and policymakers agree that it results in high financial and social costs. The policy provides to participate in the improvement of international standards on punishment for drug trafficking. The AFP collaborates with various national and international law enforcement partners to develop and implement strategies to dismantle syndicates involved in the trafficking of illicit drugs and drug . In Victoria, the penalty for trafficking a commercial quantity of a drug of dependence is a maximum of 25 years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. Such behaviour is of concern, not only because of the number of regular MDMA users exceeding the thresholds, but also because binging (ie high quantity use; Sindicich & Burns 2102) and stockpiling (ie high-quantity purchases) are both common behaviours among regular MDMA users (Fowler, Kinner & Krenske 2007). "So, many of them tend to reach back to their criminal contactsin Australia, New Zealand and the US and create a supposed shadow economy and power structures in which they can fit in.". Inspectors face the operational hurdle of including the exponential increases in contract sizes with only a restricted number of workforce and tools of their control. A massive leak of classified government documents has exposed the identities and methods of secret agents working to stop . In 2019, 11.0% of Australians smoked tobacco daily, down from 12.2% in 2016 and 24% in 1991. The cartel uses people on student visas, who receive the air cargo consignments from FedEx Colombia and then send money to Colombia. Australia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; Colombia's most wanted drug lord Otoniel captured. Ex-SAPOL Cop Tom Booker Lived Life of Luxury and Snorted $10,000 a Week The police informed that the 21-year-old youths were caught while returning from the casino. This view is supported by a US study by Sevigny and Caulkins (2006) which showed that in 1997, 11.9 percent of US federal and 15.6 percent of state inmates convicted of drug trafficking self-reported no trafficking involvement. A Gold Coast man charged with trafficking several drugs - including cocaine and MDMA - as part of an organised crime network has fronted court for the first time. Jodie Anne Croul pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including drug trafficking . Australia falls into this latter, minority category. In another, a series of migration agents targeting Colombian students is being used to filter money and imported cocaine to motorcycle gangs operating in Brisbane. Such a question has particular importance for three reasons. The broader project examined this issue in two different wayswhether the thresholds are designed to filter traffickers from users and whether they enable appropriate sanctioning of traffickers of different controlled drugs. Former aspiring lawyer Ali Aydin pleads guilty, infamous Melbourne While such provisions have been justified in terms of assisting in the successful prosecution of drug traffickers, they are unique relative to most other drug trafficking threshold systems across the world, where deemed supply laws are explicitly avoided (Harris 2011a; Hughes 2003; Walsh 2008). "External organised crime actors have played a central role inestablishing, fuellingand maintaining the drug market in the Pacificand driving the growth of local drug production and consumption," the report said. StudyCorgi. This study was conducted at the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), which is located at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), the University of New South Wales. Australian drug trends 2011. To reduce the risk that reporting could compromise current investigations or endanger lives, the Herald delayed publication until Friday. Australian threshold quantities for drug trafficking: Are they placing drug users at risk of unjustified sanction? The wicked problem of drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere That said, the maximum quantity consumed or purchased for personal use alone exceeded the trafficable quantity for most drug types. Such assistance is very significant because the arrest of drugs at the borders of the sea gives the chance to seize illicit materials in the most immediate way, as a result, it will reduce supplies to Australia. Thus, preventive measures will make it possible for drug traffickers to understand that the Australian frontier is under close protection (Malins, 2019). Moreover, if the accused wishes to dispute the supply charge, the onus is placed on the accused to prove the quantity possessed was not for the purposes of supply. A., Hughes, C. E., Bright, D. A., & Ritter, A. One key takeaway from the figures presented in the report is that the Australian drug trade is large and growing. Australians' meth, cocaine use leading to growing drug-related problems across Pacific, says report. Societies undermined by drug trade Organized crime rings continue to rake in millions of dollars from drug trafficking, warns the INCB report, with negative consequences for societies and economic development, ranging from corruption and bribery, to increased organized crime, violence, poverty, and inequality. The table above drug categories in Australia outlines the maximum Australian drug penalties and drug trafficking in Australia penalties according to the drug quantity and type. First, there has yet to be any systematic assessment of the risks (and benefits) of thresholds. Report: Global Drug Trafficking Market Worth Half a Trillion Dollars February 16, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/high-level-drug-trafficking-in-australia/. The current data suggests a small but not insignificant proportion of heroin users are affected. Indeed, they are 25200 times larger. Learn all out drug trafficking law here. "When they are returned, they're returned with no cultural understanding, language skills of those countries support networks to receive them or prospects of work. There are limitations to the IDRS and EDRS. Yet, in spite of known risks from adopting such thresholds, particularly of an unjustified conviction of a user as a trafficker, the capacity of Australian legal thresholds to deliver proportional sanctioning has been subject to limited research to date. Illicit drug use - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare International Journal of Drug Policy, 67, 63-71. The illegal drug trade in Australia is estimated to be worth AU$11.3 billion and in New Zealand up to an estimated AU$1.86 billion per annum. Application to the ACT setting showed that the current thresholds created risks of unjustified sanction of users as traffickers and that by virtue of their lower values, the proposed Model Criminal Code thresholds, if adopted, would pose greater risks (particularly for users of methamphetamine; Hughes & Ritter in press). In one case, the AFP is hunting a drug kingpin who is living in luxury after fleeing Perth for Colombia, leaving behind a string of still-operating businesses here. Drug laws in Australia are complex - some laws are federal, while others are state or territory based. February 16, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/high-level-drug-trafficking-in-australia/. "Stopping crime at the source is a key strategy for the AFP and partnerships with Pacific policing organisations are resulting in a more-hostile environment for criminal activity,"an AFP spokesperson said. 16 February. Criminals use either legal or unofficial methods to obtain smuggling over countries. It is significant to regard that the bulk of drug trafficking occurs across the sea border. The report also found thatcross-border efforts to police drug trafficking hadbeenundermined bya disconnectbetween regional and national law enforcement, anddisparity in capacity across agencies,which haderoded trust and intelligence-sharing between them. The report's author, Jose Sousa-Santos,saidthe street value formethamphetamine and cocaine in Australia and New Zealand was among the highestin the world. If you use an assignment from StudyCorgi website, it should be referenced accordingly. Opponents of legal thresholds also argue that they may unwittingly provide perverse incentives for high-level traffickers to modify their behaviour to reduce their risk of severe sanction (through, for example ensuring mules hold their drugs rather than themselves). Third, it is known that an unjustified conviction for dealing will often impose social and individual harms which far exceed the harm associated with the drug in question (MCCOC 1998b: 87). Drug trafficking in Australia is deemed a very serious offence, one for which legislators and courts have ruled general deterrence is paramount and 'little mercy' should be shown (Clune [1989] VR 567, O'Bryan and Marks JJ, 576). Australian trends in ecstasy and related drug markets 2011. Whether a drug charge is heard and dealt with in the Local or the District Court, depends on the quantity, according to the Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW). This problem requires the effective operation of border authorities, and the globalization of drug importation sets new goals for them. This process was repeated for Metric 2 using data from the IDRS and EDRS only (data on purchasing was unavailable from the NDSHS). On 16 November, the Australian Federal Police issued an alert. Between 2019 and 2017, the amount of heroin found by German customs officials took a . A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said that, while the market for drugs in Australia wasstrong, the ability of law enforcement agencies to work together against organised crime hadnever been stronger. Australians face death penalty for drug trafficking in China The exchange of operational data on serious transnational illegal structures between national customs offices and information on most immeasurable methods in border management can improve coordination at the federal and worldwide levels. 22. Moreover, sample sizes for a number of estimates were small, which likely reduces their reliability. It shows that in all jurisdictions, the quantities for cannabis are larger than for any other drug. Illicit drug use in Australia is the recreational use of prohibited drugs in Australia. 1 Queensland University Of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. The authors highlight a number of reforms that ought mitigate the risks and increase capacity to capture Australian drug traffickers. The Herald and Age have reviewed thousands of emails (most in Spanish), verified them and then destroyed all copies along with all the associated metadata, to have no access to the leaked database or any of its contents. Albanian-Led Drug Trafficking Gang Dismantled in Australia The surveys also omit users who consume substances less frequently. For example, as shown in Table 3, in every state regular ecstasy users reported consuming and/or purchasing quantities for personal use that exceeded the trafficable threshold. methamphetamine is the most used and trafficked drug controlled by criminal organizations that produce it; crystal methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis products, heroin, ketamine, and Erimin 5 (nimetazepam) are smuggled into the country; a transit point for trafficking cocaine and other drugs to the Australian market