Wayne Geoffrey Strawhorn was a respected drug squad officer from Victoria in Australia. Today, however, a court heard that the former officer used his position to traffic drugs to the Bandidos bikie gang for financial gain.
The accusations involve the movement of 5.5 kilograms of pseudoephedrine to the bandidos and well-known Australian underworld figure, Mark Moran. “He was a man in a position of power and a man who had been invested with real trust,” the prosecuting attorney said. “That power and trust was manipulated and misused for his own gain.” He also allegedly threatened to kill an ethical standards detective according to the prosecution after an investigation into his behaviour was started. While the Victorian Police force has not often been officially implicated in corrupt activities, the charges against Strawhorn are sure to be a blow to morale. With the prevalence in the media of the Melbourne underworld in recent years, the complicity of certain element of the law enforcement community should perhaps not be a complete surprise though. Hopefully the extent of their involvement with organised criminals will be limited to Stawhorn. Anyone taking bets?
