Australian crime boss teams up with Kinahan cartel to 'smuggle tonnes of cocaine'
Angelo Pandeli Sydney Hells Angels boss
According to a leading investigative podcast in Australia, Hells Angels boss Angelo Pandeli is a key figure in a global group that includes the Kinahan gang. The podcast, Cocaine Inc, alleges that Pandeli, 53, and the Kinahans are under investigation for attempting to smuggle hundreds of kilos of cocaine, valued at tens of millions of euros, from Colombia to Europe via Ireland.
Pandeli is considered one of Australia's most significant criminals. Based on investigative reporting across six countries, the podcast reveals how criminals are outsmarting authorities in a "cat and mouse" game, as the annual street value of the global cocaine market reaches €110 billion.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has disclosed that the supply of cocaine is at its highest level in three decades, with the Kinahans and Pandeli collaborating to saturate the market both in Australia and abroad. ACIC deputy CEO of intelligence, Matt Rippon, commented: "The profits are immense and organised crime gangs are here and they are focused. In almost 30 years of being in law enforcement and intelligence, I haven't seen the scale of cocaine that we've seen consistently hitting our shores in the last 12 to 24 months."
Pandeli features on Australia's priority organisation targets list - their national most-wanted database. He's thought to have augmented his influence based on the potency of the Australian cocaine market, where one gram fetches around €215 - significantly higher than the roughly €70 in Ireland.
The profitability of the Australian market has cemented Pandeli's role within the worldwide cocaine supply chain, according to the podcast. It also suggests that the exorbitant Australian rates funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into Pandeli's coffers and make him a profitable associate for the Kinahans due to his distribution network of Hells Angels associates.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/worl...rtel-to-smuggle-tonnes-of-cocaine/ar-BB1nZBY2