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The AFP’s Operation Kraken, which took down the criminal networking app Ghost, claims another scalp.'
The Australian Federal Police has charged a 25-year-old Sydney man after he allegedly smuggled an encrypted mobile device into an Australian correctional facility.
The man, a correctional officer, was allegedly paid a bribe of, at most, $2,000, to deliver a device connected to the Ghost criminal messaging network.
The officer was identified after several Sydney men were arrested in September 2024 as part of Operation Kraken-Kamino, one of the sub-operations of the original Operation Kraken campaign. The AFP alleges the men used the Ghost app to arrange drug importations and “a false terrorism plot”.
An examination of one of the electronic devices led police to the corrections officer, and a search warrant executed at the man’s northwestern Sydney home found pistol rounds and electronic devices.
“Taking bribes, however big or small, erodes trust and weakens democracy,” AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said in an August 5 statement.
“Such actions have ripple effects. In this instance, we allege the man assisted a criminal syndicate alleged to be involved in drug and firearms trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.
“The AFP owes it to the Australian public to prosecute these matters to the full extent of the law.”
The man is charged with one count of corruptly receiving a benefit less than $2000 and one count of committing an offence for the benefit of, or at the direction of, a criminal organisation. The charges could lead to a seven-year jail sentence.
The Ghost network
Ghost messaging network was created in 2015, and an international taskforce targeting the network led by Europol was formed in 2022 to investigate the encrypted service. The AFP was invited to participate and was able to infiltrate the network via regular software updates to the devices, which the AFP modified to be able to eavesdrop on criminal communications on the network.
By monitoring and disrupting the service, the AFP said last year it was able to prevent the murder or serious injury of 50 Australians. Several waves of arrests followed around Australia.
“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 at the time.
Arrests were also made overseas, leading Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle to say that no matter how secure criminals think they are, “they can’t evade our collective effort”.
“This operation is what Europol is all about: turning collaboration into concrete results by bringing together the right people, tools and expertise to address every aspect of this complex operation,” De Bolle said.
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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