Is Australia’s ‘voracious’ illicit drug use behind organised crime violence? It’s complicated

Sydney appears to be facing an escalation of organised crime violence. The shootings this month of 23-year-old university student Marco Tapia and, two days later, 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald in the city’s west, highlighted the often hidden world of organised crime and its violence.

It led to Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett stating a renewed conversation was needed about the links between illicit drug use and organised crime in Australia.

But is Australians’ hunger for illicit drugs the main reason for the growing concerns about organised crime? 

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