Jordan Curry: How WA Police helped bring down powerful bikie boss

A bikie kingpin who controlled one of the country’s most powerful cocaine cartels — known as “The Commission” — is facing life in prison after he was brought down in an elaborate global sting. The West Australian can for the first time reveal details of how Jordan Curry — who ran Australia’s Lone Wolf bikie gang from Dubai — was busted in an undercover operation led by the US Drug Enforcement Administration with the help of Australian authorities. That included WA Police, which had officers called in as part an elaborate web of undercover cops who infiltrated Curry’s syndicate as he tried to move dirty cash out of the country. Curry — who was arrested in Greece in 2021 before being extradited to the US — last month pleaded guilty in a Florida court to money laundering and attempting to import 50kg of cocaine from South America into Australia via the US. The 42-year-old has been identified as one of the bosses of the The Commission, which was considered one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels, with Comanchero boss Mark Buddle also alleged to have pulled the strings from the top. The US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida said Curry, alongside other conspirators based in Australia, was trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine in “tonne amounts” to Australia and Europe. Curry was also responsible for funnelling drugs and dirty cash across the country — and talked about having total control of drug trafficking in Australia to keep prices high. “Curry discussed having full control of drug trafficking in Australia since it was their organisation who controlled the drug trade in-country,” a statement by the US Attorney’s Office said. It said that on June 28, 2019, Curry co-ordinated two separate cash drops totalling more than $1 million in Sydney. The money was then transferred to various US bank accounts before the cash was delivered in pesos in Bogota, Colombia. Between July 10 and July 25 that year, Curry’s couriers made six payouts totalling almost $2m in Colombian pesos, with the bikie boss at one point sending a message saying he wanted to finalise the money laundering as soon as possible to “get my job over the line” — or have a cocaine load sent released from the country. In 2020, the DEA launched an undercover operation aimed at dismantling Curry’s syndicate, with intelligence suggesting he was moving bulk cash and cryptocurrency averaging $3m a week. Police intelligence suggested that what he needed most was a way to move the cash out of Australia. He organised money drops in cities across the country, including Perth. In May 2020, officers from WA Police were called in to pose as members of an international money-laundering syndicate and picked up $500,000 in drug money for Curry. Similar tactics were successfully carried out by police in Queensland, Victoria and NSW, with a total of almost $3m moved by officers under the co-ordination of the DEA. Curry intended to transport up to 500kg of Colombian cocaine, hidden in machinery, from Colombia, through Mexico to Los Angeles and then into Australia, authorities say. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the outcome was a “testament to multiple police jurisdictions and agencies working together to disrupt and dismantle major drug syndicates and lock up the masterminds, not just the mules”. “I cannot commend the DEA agents who co-ordinated and executed this operation highly enough,” he said. “Their dedication and unwavering commitment has dealt a major blow to organised crime in Australia and the world. “The dismantling of this syndicate would not have been possible without the professionalism and co-operation of our many partner agencies and counterparts in a number of police jurisdictions. “WA Police played a small role in this very big job against organised crime, but I’m proud of the part my officers played.” Mr Blanch added “this should send a clear message to all those who would profit from causing drug related misery in our communities”. “Our reach is long and our resolve is unwavering,” he said. “We and our partners will come for you no matter where in the world you are.” Curry is expected to be sentenced on October 16. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.