In a major breakthrough, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have charged 14 additional individuals and seized nearly $28 million in cash and assets in connection with an encrypted app, Ghost, allegedly used by organized crime groups to coordinate global drug trafficking and violent crimes.
The app, marketed as "unhackable" within the criminal underworld, was reportedly operated from a suburban Melbourne bedroom. Following its infiltration by the AFP, more than 700 officers carried out coordinated raids over two days in September, targeting homes across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia.
Among the 52 individuals arrested is accused drug kingpin Guy Habkouk, alleged to have used Ghost to conspire to acquire machine guns, bombs, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and terrorist-related paraphernalia. Charges against others include drug trafficking, money laundering, and orchestrating acts of extreme violence.
Melbourne resident Jay Je-Yoon Jung has been identified as the alleged mastermind and administrator of the Ghost platform, which served as a key tool for criminal networks to evade law enforcement.
AFP Commander Andrew Donoghue emphasized the significance of the operation:
"The infiltration of Ghost marks a major milestone in our ongoing fight against organized crime. This operation demonstrates that no system is beyond the reach of law enforcement."
Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have vowed to continue targeting individuals and networks involved in these serious criminal activities.
