Latest news with #CriminalAssetsConfiscationAct
7NEWS
21-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Christmas card pulled from eBay after reports Snowtown serial killer John Bunting created it
A $5000 Christmas card has been pulled offline after it was alleged the sinister illustration was done by Australia's worst serial killer. The eBay listing for the card had a haunting image of a skull with 'Season's Greetings' written in the centre. The seller claimed the artwork was done by Snowtown serial killer, John Bunting and was advertised as: '1 of a kind. Australian Crime History.' There was also a signature on the card that read: 'J Bunting'. The auction item was removed on Monday. Bunting along with Robert Wagner, and James Vlassakis murdered 11 people around Adelaide between August 1992 and May 1999. The victims were chosen at random by Bunting and he is believed to have told Wagner and Vlassakis that they were paedophiles or homosexuals. The remains were found in barrels filled with hydrochloric acid and hidden in a disused bank vault in the quiet country town of Snowtown, about 150km north of Adelaide. The majority of the victims were either family or friends of the four perpetrators. There is no evidence that the card was illustrated by the convicted serial killer and is only suggesting it was claimed in the listing. According to the Adelaide Advertiser, correctional Services spokeswoman confirmed the matter was reported to eBay with a formal request for the listing's removal 'out of respect for Bunting's victims and their families'. The department examining the item listed to assess its origins and authenticity, warning that action would be taken if any inappropriate behaviour was found. Under South Australian legislation it is illegal to profit from crime. The Criminal Assets Confiscation Act allows the government to seize assets, including property and money, derived from criminal activity.
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Perth Now
Record $7m tobacco haul as police target crime assets
A random traffic stop has led police to a record $7.3 million haul of tobacco at a suburban warehouse that was supplying the booming illicit market. SA police seized illegal tobacco and vape products from a truck on the Lincoln Highway at Whyalla on May 6. This led officers to a warehouse in the Adelaide suburb of Salisbury, which is alleged to have been supplying retail outlets across the state with illicit tobacco products, Detective Chief Inspector Brett Featherby said. A $7.3 million haul of cigarettes and tobacco was found in a warehouse in suburban Adelaide. More than seven million cigarettes and 3.9 tonnes of loose tobacco were seized, valued at $7.3 million. Packages of loose tobacco, or "chop chop", were found in 12 large freezers, showing the extent of the distribution centre that was supplying the metropolitan and rural areas in South Australia, Chief Insp Featherby said. He said organised crime syndicates had been dealt a major blow with police restraining $22.8 million in assets, including more than $9 million in cash from two bank accounts. Police will seek forfeiture orders on assets including houses, vehicles and silver bullion restrained under the Criminal Assets Confiscation Act. "One of the keys for Operation Eclipse is actually disrupting the financial operations of these criminal syndicates trying to establish in the South Australian market," Chief Insp Featherby said. Officers have searched 186 premises and seized illicit tobacco products valued at $25.3 million. Two men have been charged over the latest haul and there have been a total of 37 arrests for offences including blackmail, possessing tobacco products for sale, arson, money laundering and serious criminal trespass. Operation Eclipse, formed in September 2024 to investigate serious criminal offending linked to tobacco and vape sales, is collaborating with federal and interstate law enforcement agencies that are also fighting the illicit trade. There have been more than 100 firebombings in Victoria in two years, while seven men have been arrested across Sydney over the theft of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in the past year. Queensland is the latest state to record a rise in the violent attacks on tobacconists and police have raided dozens of premises in the past two months. In March, the federal government committed $157 million to federal health, crime and tax agencies across two years to strengthen enforcement and target crime gangs. SA Police have had "excellent public support", receiving more than 400 calls to Crime Stoppers, Chief Insp Featherby said. "We're still after the locations where illicit tobacco is being stored, and information relating to anybody that may be helping facilitate the criminal activity," he said.
