Jonson Harry Rowe: Bikie-linked drug syndicate kingpin guilty after trial over $6 million dirty cash bust

A 32-year-old drug syndicate kingpin has been found guilty of directing the movement of $6 million in suspected dirty money around Perth for a planned massive purchase. Johnson Harry Rowe went on trial in the District Court of WA last week, accused of money laundering and conspiring to possess tens of kilograms of illicit drugs, including methylamphetamine. The court was told how police swapped the cash, contained in six boxes, for sheets of A4 paper and slipped trackers inside in a late-night operation. But the gang was none the wiser for a month, not realising they were being covertly recorded as they transported the boxes to various storage locations. After one of them opened one of the boxes and realised police were onto them, Rowe sent “frantic” encrypted messages to a co-conspirator. “Cuz you need to message me ASAP,” one read. “Cuz all the money is gone and it has been replaced by A4 paper and trackers.” Three cipher phones seized during raids were at the centre of the prosecution. One message read: “F*** this is hectic hahaha I have like 10mil worth of sh**arriving on Tuesday.” Rowe was extradited from Queensland and said to have links to the Lone Wolf gang there and the Comancheros in WA. He was found guilty of all four counts against him earlier this week and will be sentenced on Friday.