Heat now on ABF staff

Finances under microscope after arrests

THE lifestyles and finances of thousands of Australian Border Force staff across the country will be investigated by high-powered agencies amid concerns crime syndicates are corrupting officers with drug money.

News Corp understands agencies are concerned about corrupt networks being built within the ABF.

Eight people have been arrested under Operation Astatine, a joint Australian Federal Police and NSW Police investigation, including several figures from the NSW Jomaa crime syndicate. ABF team leader Craig Eakin, 42, and former Customs staff member Johayna Merhi, 41, who raised suspicions through Taskforce Pharos five years ago, have been charged with smuggling, assisting a criminal group and dealing in proceeds of crime.

Questions are now being asked how Merhi, who allegedly had serious links to organised crime groups, was recently hired by NSW Police as a cultural liaison officer.

Merhi was on long-time leave from Customs when the ABF was formed. Gold Coast man Keith Findley, 52, allegedly linked to the Jomaa syndicate, was also arrested on Tuesday and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of bordercontrolled drugs.

Findley will appear in Sydney Central Local Court on October 25.

News Corp can reveal the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre will be sent a list of about 14,000 staff.

Money laundering and crime gang specialists will check for unexplained wealth and questionable associates.

The new blowtorch, including ongoing drug and alcohol testing, began on Monday under the ABF’s own integrity assurance measure, Operation Arete.

It is understood it will be alleged Eakin and Merhi received six-figure rewards from facilitating the importation of tobacco and ecstasy.

News Corp understands it will be alleged Eakin was able to inform crime bosses whether law enforcement had flagged containers their drugs were in and was able to provide inside information that helped the syndicate, which operated out of Dubai and Sydney, but also had links to the Gold Coast.

Several law enforcement task forces and operations in the past 10 years have targeted Customs and now ABF officers.

It is understood Eakin and Merhi were linked to the Jomaa family, which is allegedly a competitor to the Ibrahim family.

Koder Jomaa was arrested in AFP raids in Dubai.

Abbus Jomaa, 54, and Alli Jomaa, 42, were arrested in NSW.

The joint operation between the AFP, NSW Police, ABF, ACIC and the NSW Crime Commission stopped more than 200kg of ecstasy from being imported into the country.

ABF Acting Commissioner Michael Outram said yesterday the charges were serious.

“We will always be a target, of serious and organised crime, to try and infiltrate us,” he said.