As jointly released by the AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) and WA police force, the two agencies carried out an investigation on a suspected network specializing in money laundering activity in Vietnamese, with support from ANZ, NAB, Westpac and Commonwealth Banks. During the investigation which started in February, it was discovered that the Criminal network has participated in money laundering of up to $5 million since February. Two major arrests were made in connection to the crime:
First Arrest: The WA police arrested a man 27-year-old, and a woman 25-year old, in the Perth area after they were notified of suspicious transactions initiated by the two people. They allegedly made several deposits into several bank accounts. The arrest took place on Thursday 27 June 2019, in a hotel room and the police found out that over $180, 000 cash have been deposited while they still had more than $6,000 cash. They were consequently charged with the possession of illegally obtained property and possession of stolen property, and they are expected to appear before the court on 21 February 2020.
Second Arrest: The second arrest involved a 32 -year old man and a 25-year-old woman, who was caught with over 24 kg of cannabis prepared for distribution, as well as other drugs such as cocaine, MDMA, methylamphetamine and two firearms. On the first day of the arrest, about $170,000 was found with them, while a further search warrant at a residence in Aberdeen street, Northbridge suggests that the woman has links with money laundering involving a total of $3.3 million. They were therefore, charged with drug and property laundering. The woman is expected to appear before the court on Friday 28 February 2020, and the man, on Tuesday 14 January 2020.
