Australian Border Force (ABF) announced that the Western Australian police charged a man and a woman following a drug test. Police seized around $1.5 million in cryptocurrencies from the couple. This is the largest ever cryptocurrency seizure made by the WA police.
MDMA was exported concealed in a children’s toy.
The police charged the 27-year-old man and 25-year-old woman after a tip-off from the Australian Border Force. The couple is accused of importing large amounts of drugs from a different country with the intention to sell. Police found 27.5 grams of ecstasy tablets and 27.5 grams of ecstasy powder that was imported from the UK concealed in a children’s toy.
“Criminals can’t hide funds in cryptocurrencies.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Matthews said that the identification and freezing of over $1.5 million of cryptocurrency in these circumstances highlight the current digital environment that police must operate. The detective further warned that criminals can not hide illicit drug funds as law enforcement is using the latest technologies and digital forensic techniques to investigate all possible methods of holding financial assets.Earlier, a couple was jailed for selling cocaine and laundering funds using bitcoin on the darknet.
The arrested couple is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
