Today, the Commonwealth Law Enforcement International Engagement Methamphetamine Disruption Strategy was launched. The strategy aims to enhance domestic and international partnerships with a central focus on disrupting the supply and demand of methamphetamine and its precursors in Australia.
The consumption of methamphetamine has tripled to 270,000 users in Australia over the past five years, making Australians the highest per capita consumers of methamphetamine in the world.
The implementation of this strategy will ensure Australian departments and agencies:
- Better understand the international environment;
- Enhance law enforcement and border security cooperation;
- Provide more targeted capacity building and capability development; and
- Maximise advocacy and political engagement.
The combined efforts of the AFP, Attorney-General’s Department, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Health, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, Australian Border Force and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission in developing this strategy demonstrates how Australia is taking the fight against illicit drugs offshore and stopping these harmful substances before they reach our communities.
The methamphetamine trade is dynamic, with new source and transit countries emerging at rapid speed. Links between organised crime syndicates controlling the drug trade in Asia, Mexico and West Africa are becoming more established.
Australian law enforcement agencies are successfully responding to these syndicates by collaborating with international law enforcement partners to combat the supply and demand of methamphetamine in Australia and throughout the world.
Taskforce BLAZE, a continuing joint operation between the AFP and China has since 2015 stopped 13 tonnes of drugs and precursors, including six tonnes of methamphetamine from reaching Australian communities.
The AFP has seen similar successes due to improved transnational crime cooperation and intelligence exchange between the AFP and both Thailand (Taskforce STORM) and Cambodia (Strike force DRAGON).
Through transnational collaboration Australia’s law enforcement agencies are disrupting the supply of methamphetamine at its point of origin or transit.