Revealed: Inside Australian Border Force official and alleged Sydney underworld figure’s intercepted conversations

A man accused of importing cocaine into Sydney with the help of a corrupt ABF official spoke intimately to her in intercepted conversations, telling her: “I’ve just got to get you a pair of high heels,” police allege.

A man with underworld links accused of importing cocaine into Sydney with the help of a corrupt Australian Border Force official spoke intimately to her in intercepted conversations, telling her: “I’ve just got to get you a pair of high heels” and promising her: “Together we’ll conquer the world – you can be my queen”, police allege.

Australian Federal Police allege in court documents Cosmo Commisso, 67, of Mount Pritchard, and ABF National Border Targeting Centre supervisor Rita Gargiulo, 50, of Oran Park, teamed up to exploit her access to the Department of Home Affairs’ computer systems to ensure a parcel containing 6.9kg of cocaine could be smuggled through the border.

Commisso and Gargiulo were arrested during a nationwide police investigation that also nabbed a Sydney father and son – accused of abusing their positions in customs control to smuggle two tonnes of illegal tobacco into the city – and a Melbourne man, accused of heroin trafficking with alleged links to a Sydney logistics worker, who was not charged but fired from his position.

Alleged crime figure Cosmo Commisso, 67, is accused of giving Australian Border Force supervisor Rita Gargiulo, 50, cash, luxury goods and household items in exchange for help bypassing 6.9kg cocaine from ABF examination after it landed in Sydney.

The arrests prompted senior police to label NSW as “ground zero for Australia’s illicit drug importations”, with more than half of substances trafficked into Australia funnelled into the state – mostly into Sydney.

Commisso and Gargiulo, who are being represented by high-profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib, were both charged with bribery and drug importation and are yet to enter pleas.

When contacted on Wednesday about the case, Mr Dib declined to comment.

High profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib is legally representing the pair.

According to the police documents, Gargiulo has worked with the ABF for 10 years and in March 2024 was promoted to the role of Targeting Centre supervisor at the agency’s Mascot base, a position that gave her access to Home Affairs’ internal system, allowing her to look up cargo logs and also look up if certain parcels were flagged to be searched.

She eventually began to allegedly take bribes from Commisso – including Burberry and Louis Vuitton handbags – to ensure the airfreight parcel containing 6.9kg of cocaine would bypass ABF examination this month.

Rita Gargiulo (right) being arrested by police officers. She has worked with the ABF for 10 years.

However, The Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal police had been listening to the pair talk to each other – with sometimes intimate language – for weeks and knew where to look, seizing the cocaine and arresting them on Tuesday.

They were introduced to each other in late 2024 by an associate, with Commisso – who police allege has organised crime links – allegedly later saying that Gargiulo had “information about consignments coming into Australia and could tell if they were being watched”.

As Gargiulo began to assist Commisso, investigators from a newly established task force targeting “double agents” were listening in.

Commisso in handcuffs following his arrest.

They eavesdropped for months as Gargiulo allegedly raved to a family member about how Commisso had changed their lives, and, as he called her “sexy”, they were also listening as she allegedly explained how ABF inspected packages and how to better hide illegal materials.

On one occasion, Commisso said: “I’ve just got to get you a pair of high heels – do you wear high heels?” to which Gargiulo said: “Yeah, but only for occasions”.

Commisso replied: “Sexy occasions – you can put the lingerie on”.

Another time, Commisso seemingly hinted he had future plans with Gargiulo after their alleged criminal enterprise, telling her: “Together we’ll conquer the world – you can be my queen”.

In another intercepted conversation, Gargiulo gushed to a family member about her relationship with Commisso, saying: “This guy wants to spend every cent he has got on me” and “he got me schnitz, cutlets, more cherries, he got me some anti-pasta stuff … I literally do not need to grocery shop.”

But their relationship involved more than gourmet groceries.

According to the intercepted messages, Gargiulo schooled Commisso about “massive, powerful” X-ray machines used to check consignments by the ABF and how illicit materials could be better concealed by lead, which is not easily X-rayed.

The Raptor Squad moving in on the home of one of the alleged offenders. Picture: AFP

It is alleged the pair worked together for several months, partly to ensure the safe passage of the parcel and to provide information about “dummy run” of cosmetics that arrived in Australia from Malaysia last month.

The pair were arrested by the newly established AFP and NSW Police’s Multi Agency Strike Team that targets contractors, public and private officials who are allegedly on the payroll of organised crime.

Assistant Commissioner Micheal Fitzgerald speaks of an alleged incident were a boarder force officer has attempted to import illicit drugs into Australia. Picture: NewsWire / Thomas Lisson

Speaking generally, AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney said the “double dealers” were “highly valuable” to organised crims and gangs.

“We used to call these offenders trusted insiders,” he said.

“However, what they really are (is) double agents or double dealers, by working for both sides.

“They are extremely valuable to organised crime, who will keep these insiders on their payroll for years to make it easier to import large properties of illicit drugs into this country.”

Originally published as Revealed: Inside Australian Border Force official and alleged Sydney underworld figure’s intercepted conversations