Australian Federal Police have arrested five foreign nationals accused of being "key players" in offshore people-smuggling syndicates, in raids across three states on Thursday.
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AFP assistant commissioner Steve Lancaster said three men had been arrested in Australian detention centres, accused of organising boats bound for Australia from in Indonesia, before coming here by boat themselves.
He said that of the five men arrested, four had come to Australia by boat, but would not say whether they had come to Australia as asylum seekers or as crew on asylum boats.
He said there was no suggestion any had continued to conduct their people-smuggling operations from within Australian detention centres.
Police allege the five men arrested - three Afghans, one Pakistani and one Iranian – had brought up to 132 boats to Australia in the past year. Assistant Commissioner Lancaster was not able to say how many asylum seekers they had brought to Australia.
He said the police operation had been running for about a year, and involved seven separate investigations in Australia and overseas, and tip-offs from more than 200 people.
The five men were arrested in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and police allege the men had operated in every state and territory except Tasmania.
Three were remanded after facing court on Thursday and two more will face court in Sydney on Friday.
The arrests bring the number arrested for people-smuggling offences since 2009 to 26, with another 750 arrested for people-smuggling offences overseas, predominantly in Indonesia, he said.
"This strategic strike against people smuggling is a prime example of the AFP's commitment to disrupt and deter those who seek to organise and facilitate ventures in Australia and offshore."
He said it was not possible to "guesstimate" the impact of the raids on people-smuggling activities in Australia.
"But I would like to say that the operations today could have a significant impact on those currently in Australia, but also have that impact in Indonesia as well."
Assistant Commissioner Lancaster said those arrested, and the information received from the public related not only to individual people smugglers, but to syndicates.
"These people are major players within their syndicates ... they are significant players within those syndicates. They were actively involved in the recruitment of people overseas and also in relation to the collection and transfer of monies."
He said police had observed that most boats bound for Australia were organised by several syndicates, whereas in previous years only one would have been involved.
"If you’re involved in people smuggling, the current intelligence we have and the intelligence that we have received from over 200 members of the community, it is likely that if you are a significant people-smuggler organiser, you are likely to be known by us. And it is also likely that you could be under criminal investigation," Assistant Commissioner Lancaster said.
"Those who have not been picked up in the first scoop today, that does not mean you should sleep well tonight.
"I guarantee there will be further arrests made ... this is not the end."
He said a report in The Australian newspaper on the raids, published on Thursday morning with information about the raids, had not compromised the operation. The Australian agreed to wait until its second edition to publish the report.
