Migrant groups going gang busters

Migrant groups going gang busters | The Australian: "LAST week in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, a man alleged to be the 'Mr Big' behind a large ecstasy haul was committed to face trial in a case that provides a fascinating insight into the changing face of organised crime in Australia.

Magistrate Simon Garnett ruled there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict Griffith businessman Pasquale Barbaro on six charges, over the seizure of 15 million tablets of ecstasy, weighing 4.4 tonnes and with a street value of more than $440 million, found in tins of tomatoes imported from Italy in 2007. Barbaro is defending the charges.

Apart from the quantity of drugs - which allegedly also included 150kg of cocaine in a later shipment - the most intriguing feature of the case is the list of co-conspirators facing trial. They include people from a range of ethnic backgrounds.

Veteran investigators have observed a significant shift; the boundaries between formerly rival crime groups have dissolved, replaced by a new web of constantly changing alliances. Where once ethnically based crime groups - be they Italian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern or predominantly Anglo-Saxon bikie gangs - operated independently, today they work hand in hand."

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