Police thought they were responding to a straightforward break-and-enter call from a Sydney unit complex. Instead, they stumbled across an alleged kidnapping attempt and a 722kg drug haul.
The police were called to the Ryde unit block after 6am on Monday with reports of a break and enter. When police arrived, four young men wearing all black and face coverings were found sitting in a Toyota Yaris in the basement carpark.
NSW Police found $1 billion in cocaine at a Ryde unit.Credit: NSW Police
The men, aged 24, 23, 20 and 19, were allegedly armed with a “kidnapping kit” including a meat cleaver, knives, cable ties, handcuffs, face coverings and gloves, Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said.
“We will allege from our investigations that the motive for those offenders being present in the basement was to kidnap and rob an occupant from that complex,” he said.
Just some of the cocaine blocks hidden in the unit. Credit: NSW Police
Police said they spoke with the alleged intended target of the kidnapping attempt, a 24-year-old man from Victoria, who appeared friendly and helpful.
That all changed on Monday night when a search of the Airbnb unit allegedly uncovered one of the biggest single cocaine hauls in NSW history.
Large black duffel bags filled with one kilogram blocks of cocaine were packed in the unit. Hundreds of cocaine blocks, Doueihi said, were stacked high inside cupboards.
All up the cocaine weighed 722 kilograms with an estimated street value of more than $1 billion, police said.
Police allege the occupant of the unit tried to escape, jumping off the back balcony only to be caught by officers.
The four alleged kidnappers – Eldin Huric, Liam Roger Goodhew, Bilal Gheneim and Moumin Hamouda – were each charged with five offences: aggravated break and enter with intent to steal, being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence, possessing housebreaking items, using a disguise with intent to commit and indictable offence and participate in a criminal group.
Police say a meat cleaver was part of a “kidnapping kit”.Credit: NSW Police
The alleged target of the kidnapping, Hussein Hamed Habeeb, was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and knowingly deal with the proceeds of a crime.
“I can indicate that this particular seizure of cocaine is one of the biggest single seizures that the NSW Police Force have been involved in that doesn’t involve drug importation – it was found on shore here in NSW,” Doueihi said.
Police believe the drugs were previously imported to Australia from South America, potentially Colombia.
All five men faced Burwood Local Court on Tuesday.
Hamed Habeeb, Hamouda, Gheneim and Huric were also refused bail. Goodhew was granted bail under strict conditions, including surrendering his passport.
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