Two Sydney men, bodybuilder allegedly running Colombian cocaine lab

A Colombian-born bodybuilder and alleged Australian head of massive cocaine operation arrested as he leaves Brisbane gym as police smash alleged drug ring running purpose-built cocaine factory.

A Colombian drug ring which set up a purpose-built “cocaine factory” on an isolated rural property, used an Australian bodybuilder as their ringleader, and flew in a “coke chemist” from overseas, has been smashed by federal police.

Nine people have been arrested and charged over the alleged plot to produce about 700kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of up to $175 million.

They were, police claim, part of the “relentless” Australian arm of the Colombian cartel who would on-sell cocaine to bikie gangs for distribution.

Darwin bodybuilder Rhys Ferzst, 33, the syndicate’s alleged Australian ringleader, was dramatically arrested on Thursday night as he left a gym.

It’s alleged Ferzst directed the Aussie cartel’s operations and would receive instructions from Colombia about a shipment of ­cocaine in liquid form smuggled into NSW from overseas.

Colombian coke factory found by AFP

Federal agents pounced after 10kg in cocaine hidden in two ­fridges loaded on the back of a Volkswagen Amarok ute was ­intercepted near Newcastle on Thursday night.

After the bust, one member of the group allegedly told an associate: “They have got it, it’s been seized. No drugs this weekend.”

Intercepted communications allegedly captured him boasting that he’d be making “millions by the end of the year”, a court heard.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers had been investigating the syndicate since May when the alleged “chemist”, Fabio Fernandez Pulgarin, 48, flew into Sydney.

Pulgarin and fellow Colombian national Alexander Villegas Jaramillo, 38, faced Kingaroy Magistrates Court in Queensland on Friday charged with one count each of conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of cocaine, with their cases adjourned.

Police allege the syndicate had purchased land at Durong, a remote southeast Queensland community near Kingaroy, and spent tens of thousands of dollars to build a 600 square metre drug lab.

Rhys Alwyn Ferzst, 33, was arrested as he walked out of a gym on Thursday night. Picture: Supplied

“What we found was that the syndicate was an unrelenting, well resourced cartel that has gone to significant lengths to conceal themselves from Australian law enforcement,” the AFP’s head of Eastern Command Investigations Kate Ferry said.

AFP acting Superintendent Detective Ben Moses said it would be alleged the Australians ­involved had links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Supt Moses said the powder cocaine was concealed in liquid form and allegedly imported to the facility where it was extracted by a Colombian national, known as a “chemist”.

It’s alleged the man was flown in from Spain to oversee and teach the syndicate how to extract ­cocaine after it was imported.

Images from Operation Merredin of the drug seizure. Source: Supplied

A vehicle stop near Heatherbrae saw 10kg of cocaine found hidden. Source: Supplied

Supt Moses said the “cocaine factory” was alleged to have been deliberately set up to be hidden from authorities.

“It was specifically built in the back of a property, on a very large site, on a number of hectares,” he said.

“Two of the people arrested we believed resided there and we will allege the property had been purchased for this purpose.

Six Queenslanders were among those arrested. Three were granted bail on Friday. One of them, Coast builder Gregory William Murphy was released after his parents put up a $400,000 surety.

Police claimed in Southport Magistrates Court that Murphy, 35, played a “key role”.

Commonwealth prosecutor Daniel Trigger told the court that Murphy and other syndicate members were also planning an ‘at-sea pick-up’ of drugs off Darwin. Mr Trigger said Murphy’s girlfriend had been charged with receiving proceeds of crime after $1.75 million was found in a duffel bag under her bed.

Originally published as Two Sydney men, bodybuilder allegedly running Colombian cocaine lab