March 29, 2023
“They’ll never know it was you who spoke up” … that’s the message from Crime Stoppers as it launches a national campaign to fight the illegal drugs trade.
Crime Stoppers Australia chair Dr Vince Hughes said people linked to the drugs trade often reach a point where they become concerned about their personal safety or that of their family and looked for a way out.
He said Crime Stoppers could provide a lifeline to anonymously share what they know.
“Because 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 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,” Dr Hughes said.
“Those profits are often used to fund other illegal activity, including human trafficking and sexual servitude, and much of the violence experienced in Australian suburbs can be directly linked to illicit drug trafficking activity.
“Our 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.”
Recent wastewater testing has confirmed that methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin are the most dominant illicit drugs used in Australia.
“In some way, every Australian family has been impacted by drugs; whether that’s losing a loved one to addiction, the 1 in 10 people who’ve been a victim of an illicit drug-related incident, or indirectly affected because of the significant health and social costs to the community,” Dr Hughes said.
“We 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.”
Anyone with information about the supply or trafficking of illegal drugs can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800-333-000 or online
