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An NSW man faces six more charges for his role in developing and administering Ghost organised crime network.
A 32-year-old Narwee man has been charged with six additional offences related to his operation of a global criminal messaging network based around custom smartphones.
The man was arrested last month (pictured) on 17 September by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as part of Operation Kraken, an Australia-wide operation that saw a raft of organised crime operations targeted after AFP officers infiltrated the messaging app following a Europol tip-off in 2022.
Other police operations related to the Ghost network takedown took place in Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and Canada.
The new charges were laid during an appearance at Downing Centre Local Court last week on 11 October.
The new charges are:
The man was previously charged with five offences related to the operation of the Ghost network when he was first arrested, including supporting a criminal organisation. The man currently faces a possible lifetime prison sentence for at least one of the charges.
“We allege hundreds of criminals, including Italian organised crime, outlaw motorcycle gang members, Middle Eastern organised crime, and Korean organised crime, have used Ghost in Australia and overseas to import illicit drugs and order killings,” AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney said in a statement following the initial arrest.
“I want to acknowledge all the AFP members who have been involved in this operation – from investigators, intelligence members, tech experts and all other support capabilities.”
Operation Kraken has so far led to 48 arrests nationwide.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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