How police unravelled a $3m meth syndicate coursing through the Sunshine Coast

‘Need a hand today’: How four-word text messages and a ‘meeting of the bosses’ helped detectives crack the code on a $3m Sunshine Coast meth syndicate.

Simple, four-word text messages offering “a helping hand” led detectives to unravelling a $3m drug syndicate operating throughout the Sunshine Coast, it can be revealed.

Police have released the details of the messages exclusively to the Sunshine Coast Daily for the first time since the major operation concluded more than seven years ago.

The operation, called Mike Tyras, also saw covert officers capturing a secret meeting of the syndicate bosses in the carpark of popular theme park Aussie World – a key moment in the investigation led by a specialist team of Sunshine Coast detectives.

Police said the text messages came from ever-changing mobile phones from a user who was only known as “the driver”.

They contained the words: ‘Need a hand today?’ or ‘Are you working today?’.

Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Sergeant Craig Mansfield said cracking the coded text messages was a pivotal moment in the 12-month investigation.

He said the syndicate’s 24 customers would reply with “five hours” meaning they wanted five ounces (140 grams) that day.

Court documents also revealed the vital role of telephone and tactical intercepts played.

“Because (the driver) was a painter, he’d refer to an hour’s work as an ounce of meth. So he’d send out a blanket text saying is anyone working today,” Sergeant Mansfield said.

“(The drug dealers) would respond and then in turn send out texts to their own people.”

Operation Mike Tyras was a 2014 investigation into one of the Sunshine Coast’s largest drug rings.

When the operation closed 12 months later it resulted in 92 people being charged with 214 offences including trafficking, production of dangerous drugs, other drug related offences, and firearm offences.

Police identified the top syndicate trafficked more than 260 individual supplies to some 24 customers which equated to a minimum of 10kg – $3m worth of methylamphetamine.

The semi-structured ring imported the ice from a Chinese agency via Sydney every two to three months wrapped in newspaper, sprinkled with pepper and vacuum sealed.

Ring leaders Luke Perrett and Brad Matthew Watt were each sentenced to six years’ jail.

Adam Charles Johns, the driver, received a five-year head sentence, suspended after serving 20 months.

Undercover police finally identified the key leaders of the syndicate during a public meeting at the Aussie World carpark on February 16, 2015.

“In any investigation you have to try and get to the core for the head of the syndicate, we knew along the way Johns was obviously getting large quantities off someone, or some people,” he said.

“So it was just a matter of time before we could put that together and get the conduit, the hierarchy of the syndicate to step through Johns and get to the next level.”

Sergeant Mansfield said the operation started to bust street level dealers before locating the source of the meth.

The head honchos of the syndicate and its Sunshine Coast players were Rebecca Castner, Joshua Wilkinson, Brad Watt, Luke Perrett, Craig Barker and Adam Johns.

“When we started the operation we didn’t know who the driver was. That was something that happened over the course of it,” Sergeant Mansfield said.

“It took six months of identifying him and to close down that one person who was supplying the multiple syndicates here.

“Surveillance and phone contacts led us to identify Johns. There was for a time when we thought it was Johns who was the main target.”

Police arrested Johns and Watt at a safe house in Mount Gravatt and Perret in Esk on July 26, 2015.

Sergeant Mansfield said the arrest caught the trio by surprise.

“Stunned would be the optimal word, they thought they were pretty well hidden,” he said.

“We got them on the hop. Johns was about to leave when we arrived to deliver and we got him in the basement carpark.

“Johns was pretty timid when we got him.”

This was the fourth and final part which has unveiled the inner workings and who’s who of the $3m syndicate.

Read more of this series in the print edition of the Sunshine Coast Daily which will be available weekly on Fridays, starting August 27.