Pubdate: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 Source: Age, The (Australia) Copyright: 2006 The Age Company Ltd Contact: http://www.theage.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5 Author: Nick McKenzie Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) STOLEN MAFIA FILE ALERTS UNDERWORLD A SECRET intelligence file stolen from Victoria Police tipped off Melbourne's underworld about a federal police investigation into a number of men suspected of conspiring with the Calabrian Mafia to ship huge amounts of cocaine into Australia. Information about the AFP investigation was contained in the highly protected file that was compiled in 2002 and stolen from police offices. A corruption probe last year headed by Tony Fitzgerald, QC, found the file was most likely stolen by a police officer and leaked to several underworld crime figures after it was stolen in September 2003. The timing of the theft means that the file may have been circulating in the underworld three months before the AFP raided the homes of suspects in the cocaine conspiracy in early 2004 while the investigation was at a highly sensitive stage. The Age has confirmed that some of Melbourne's criminals who received the leaked file are associates of the men targetted by the AFP during its operation. The file states that the Victoria Police had made "enquiries with F/A (federal agent) Appleby AFP who stated that Loprette (sic) is the main target relating to the container import being conducted by the AFP". Yesterday The Age revealed that Adelaide man Carmelo Loprete, along with Victorians Nicola Ciconte, Vincenzo Medici and Michael Calleja were jointly investigated by the AFP and Italian police over a conspiracy to smuggle up to 500 kilograms of cocaine into Melbourne. The men's involvement was detailed in documents issued by a court in Catanzaro, Calabria. A lawyer for Mr Ciconte has denied the allegations. The Age has been unable to contact the other men It is believed that two Victoria Police detectives were briefed by the AFP during its cocaine inquiries because the detectives were separately investigating some of the suspects. Both Victorian detectives have since left the force under serious corruption clouds. One of them was named by Mr Fitzgerald as "an obvious suspect" in the theft of the confidential file. Mr Fitzgerald was appointed by the Office of Police Integrity to investigate the leak.. A spokesman for the federal police yesterday said the AFP was unable to comment on the matter. Victoria Police declined to comment because "the issues raised relate to matters that are the subject of ongoing investigations". Since Mr Fitzgerald's investigation, Victoria Police has improved the way it protects sensitive information. The AFP has not charged the four Australians allegedly involved in the conspiracy on the advice of the Commonwealth DPP. But Italian anti-Mafia prosecutor Salvatore Curcio has confirmed that he is seeking the men's extradition and that warrants for their arrest had been issued in Calabria more than two years ago. Revelations about the outstanding Italian warrants prompted Labor justice spokesman Joe Ludwig to question whether the Federal Government had done enough to ensure the matter was handled expeditiously. A spokesman for Justice Minister Chris Ellison said the Government could not comment on extradition matters for operational reasons, but it is believed the Italian Government is yet to send Australia the information required to initiate an extradition. Mr Ludwig seized on the comments of former National Crime Authority chairman John Broome that some organised crime groups were being given insufficient attention because of the high priority given to terrorism investigations. But a spokesman for Senator Ellison said the AFP had received significant increases in resources and continued to crack down on organised crime. - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPF Florida)