Houshang Naroie jailed after police find $18m ice haul in suburban Adelaide drug lab

Houshang Naroie was found hiding and wearing only his underwear when police raided a property in suburban Adelaide in 2018 and found more than $18 million worth of meth.

Houshang Naroie has been jailed after he was caught with more than $18 million worth of ice.

An Adelaide man caught with more than $18 million worth of ice at a lab set up in a suburban home has been jailed.

Houshang Naroie, 38, was hiding and wearing only his underwear when police raided a property at Morphett Vale, south of the CBD, in October 2018.

Inside, they found nearly 40 kilograms of methamphetamine in various forms, as well as large pots, ring burners and buckets containing waste products.

Sentencing Naroie in the District Court on Tuesday, Judge Jane Schammer said it was likely the drugs would have been sold in kilogram amounts to high or mid-level dealers.

“If sold in kilogram amounts, the methamphetamine had a value of approximately $4.2 million,” she said.

“However, if sold in points, its value was approximately $18.3 million - representing about 366,000 individual street deals.”

Judge Schammer said Naroie, who came to Australia as a refugee from Iran, was acting at the behest of someone “who sat far higher up the chain”.

“However, you were fully aware of what you were doing and acted freely and willingly,” she said.

“Your role was a key role in what was the large scale manufacture of methamphetamine.”

Naroie pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.

He was sentenced to 7 years, 2 months behind bars, with a non-parole period of 4 years.

Originally published as Houshang Naroie jailed after police find $18m ice haul in suburban Adelaide drug lab