Fake cocaine on Sydney streets made of sugar and caffeine

An international drug cartel has been caught selling massive amounts of fake cocaine to Sydney gangsters who have then onsold it to customers on the streets, police allege.

Two arrests were made in a North Rocks unit. Picture: NSW Police

An international drug cartel has been caught selling massive amounts of fake cocaine to Sydney gangsters who have then onsold it to customers on the streets, police allege.

The gang of five, who were all born in Columbia but travelling on Spanish passports, have been arrested with 95kg of what is allegedly inert powder passed off as bricks of cocaine.

At least four major Sydney crime syndicates are believed to have been duped by the cartel, who purchased large quantities of the drug believing the four men and one female were part of an established South American team sent to Australia to sell the drugs.

Evidence gathered on a raid on a North Rocks unit.

Two people were arrested. Picture: NSW Police

“This had the potential to cause enormous conflict no Sydney streets,” NSW Organised Crime Squad head Detective Superintendent Peter Faux.

“There would be individuals or syndicates who may take retribution against others believing they had been ripped off once it was realised the drugs were fake,” he said.

At a press conference on Friday, Detective Superintendent Peter Faux confirmed the fake cocaine was made not out of an illicit substance but sugar and caffeine powder.

Police seized cash after swarming the North Rocks unit. Picture: NSW Police

“It was a combination of different types of powders and crystals and compressed to make it look like cocaine — caffeine, sugar and a number of other powders and it looked genuinely like cocaine,” he said.

“We’ve got quite extensive evidence that they were purporting this powder to be drugs, so the legislation is clear that we can charge them on attempting to sell prohibited drugs.”

NSW Police have now tipped off counterparts in overseas jurisdictions, including several European countries, that the syndicate is using the same tactics on their turf.

In the drug world, selling fake product can be a death sentence but police believe although some major criminals and groups were stung by the gang there has not been any related violence.

Evidence gathered on a raid on a North Rocks unit.

Evidence gathered on a raid on a North Rocks unit.

Police set up a taskforce after receiving information kilos of a useless substance being passed of as cocaine had already been sold through NSW.

They allege the syndicate arrived in Sydney from Spain in May with the intention of selling 95kg of cocaine.

On Wednesday night detectives from Stroke Force Bookar raided a unit in North Rocks where they seized 10 bricks of a substance believed to be cocaine, $121,000 AUD, foreign currency, 14 mobile phones, numerous SIM cards, multiple bank cards, and documentation relating to foreign money and crypto transfers.

Police then carried out testing on the substance inside the bricks of powder which had stamps, traditionally used to identify cocaine products, but testing of the substance confirmed it was not cocaine.

The syndicates had allegedly been duped into paying $90,000 per kilogram.

Police will not identify which groups or crime syndicates bought the dodgy coke but allege they had carried out a similar sting on criminals in London.

“They are lucky the cops got them, because if they didn’t get out of the country or get put in jail they would be dead,’’ said an underworld source.

Originally published as Fake cocaine on Sydney streets made of sugar and caffeine