One of the major players behind an international crime syndicate that laundered AUS$ 29 million (US$ 21.8 million) of drug money out of Australia was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.

A former public servant was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for fraudulently awarding AUS $15.3 million (US$ 13.8 million) of government contracts to businesses he covertly operated, The Australian reported.  

Five men were arrested and charged after Australian and Chinese police caught them trying to import over US$ 100 million worth of crystal meth into Australia, police said Monday.

Authorities charged six people with serious drug importation offenses after intercepting a yacht off the New South Wales coast with more than 1.4 tons of cocaine on board, Australian Federal Police announced Monday.

Italian police arrested seven people on Tuesday after a three-year investigation into a massive child pornography and sex abuse ring operating on the dark web.

Two Polish nationals were charged on Saturday for allegedly importing more than one tonne of crystal MDMA from Europe and could face life in prison, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

А Bulgarian crime group is accused of orchestrating the theft of AU$ 387,000 (US$ 285,523) from Australian ATMs, according to The Age, a publication based in Victoria and cited by Bulgarian media.

Australian law enforcement seized an estimated 720 liters of liquid methamphetamine worth an estimated AU$ 1.26 billion (US$ 900 million), according to a news release on the Australian Minister for Justice website.

Australian authorities have arrested two men in Brisbane for an alleged attempt to transfer money stolen from Australian cash machines to Bulgaria.

Australia’s disgraced former minister, Eddie Obeid, is to be prosecuted along with fellow former Labor politician Ian Macdonald over charges of misconduct in office.