New laws mean criminals must prove "unexplained wealth" The Mr Bigs of the Queensland criminal underworld will face losing everything under new "unexplained wealth" laws to come into effect on Friday, the government says. Convicted drug traffickers will be forced to forfeit all their property, whether it was obtained legally or illegally, under the Criminal Proceeds Confiscation Amendment Bill. The onus has previously been on prosecutors to prove that assets were obtained via criminal activity. The new laws reverse the onus of proof, meaning a convicted trafficker will have to prove to a court their wealth was accumulated legitimately. The laws also apply to the "Mr Bigs" of the criminal world, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said. "The crime bosses who pull the strings in the background will be forced to explain where all their wealth has come from, but if they can't, they lose it," he said. In the past, they could rake in the money and let lower level criminals take the fall. Casting the confiscation net wider is another way to tackle organised crime and ensures that Queensland will not become a safe haven for those wishing to hide their ill-gotten wealth. The laws also apply to gifts given six years before an offence was committed. The Attorney-General pushed ahead with the legislative changes last year, despite criticism from the Queensland Law Society and the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties, which said the laws undermined the presumption of innocence. "These criminals' lavish lifestyles are paid for with pain and suffering, with illicit drug use costing Queensland more than $1 billion a year," Mr Bleijie said. Now they will be paying back to the community. However, the laws include protection clauses for children whose mother or father are convicted of drug crimes. "They will be able to apply for financial support on the grounds of hardship as they shouldn't suffer for the bad decisions of their parents," he said. Mr Bleijie said seized property would be sold to fund "important programs and services for Queenslanders."