OFF THE WIRE
OUTLAW motorcycle gxxgs are using social media to recruit drug mules, Australia's top crime body has revealed.
The Australian Crime Commission, investigating "high-risk" crime groups in South Australia, is monitoring a number of drug recruits groomed through websites such as Facebook and has alerted South Australian Police.
Commission chief executive John Lawler told The Advertiser outlaw motorcycle gxxgs had used social networks to recruit associates and people to help with criminal activity, especially in illicit drug distribution.
Recruiting people on social media to traffic drugs has been a problem across Asia for three years, particularly in the Philippines and Malaysia.
In SA last year a man with no known history of drug crime was recruited online and later charged by police for possessing illegal chemicals.
Mr Lawler said commission intelligence had identified a number of other people buying drugs on behalf of this outlaw motorcycle gxxg who had been recruited via social media.
He said a bikie associate had befriended the man on social media and referred him to a website connected to the gxxg.
He said the man was then asked via email to buy chemicals through a company overseas, collect them on their arrival in Adelaide and deliver them to a gxxg member.
For operational reasons, the commission would not say which gxxgs have been involved.
SA Police declined to comment in any depth about the recruiting methods of bikie gxxgs.
The commission has extended its SA investigation to combat organised crime through to June 2014, having identified nine active bikie chapters in the state with about 300 full members.
Its major operation last year was to help SA Police shut down major drug operations.
VIDEO: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/bikies-recruit-drug-mules-on-social-media-sites-like-facebook-crime-commission-reveals/story-fn7celvh-1226263444849
