Judge orders arrest warrant for Van Tuan Dang in $40m drug case

Drama has played out in a Queensland court and an arrest warrant issued after a man charged over a $40m drug bust failed to turn up.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a man allegedly involved in a $40m drug operation in the South Burnett region.

Van Tuan Dang, 48, and Tony Anh Cao, 38, were due to have their matter mentioned at Kingaroy District Court today, July 16.

The men are charged with the same two charges related to the large-scale cannabis production in Boondooma in 2022.

They face a charge of possessing and producing a schedule two dangerous drug (cannabis) in quantities exceeding schedule three.

The men have not entered pleas.

Mr Dang was supposed to appear in person, but his absence led the court to take action while Mr Cao’s appearance was excused.

A solicitor representing Dang’s lawyers appeared via telephone and informed the court of their unsuccessful attempts to contact Dang through phone calls and mail in “March, May and June”.

“They have been wholly unsuccessful in contacting him,” he said.

Judge Vicki Loury KC said the lack of contact was “unsurprising”.

Crown prosecutor Hamish McIntyre requested an arrest warrant for Mr Dang, which Judge Loury granted.

“I will order that a warrant issue for the arrest of Van Tuan Dang, his bail is forfeited,” she said.

The law firm representing Mr Dang was also permitted to withdraw from the case.

The matter for the men was transferred to Brisbane and will be mentioned again on July 30 in the Brisbane District Court.

Police uncovered $40m worth of marijuana on a Boondooma property during a sting operation.

The charges stem from a major police operation in August 2022, where seven men were arrested, including Mr Dang and Mr Cai, and nearly $40m of cannabis was seized.

The Queensland Police Service media release detailed the operation conducted by Toowoomba police, with assistance from the Drug and Serious Crime Group and Proston police.

On August 5, 2022, police conducted a search warrant at a rural Queensland property in Boondooma, about 110km northwest of Kingaroy.

The search revealed several large greenhouses containing about 15,680 cannabis plants and 50kg of dried cannabis.

Police allege the total street value of the seized cannabis was estimated to be $39.9 million.

The property, formerly a cattle station, was equipped with generators, hydroponic systems, and other equipment allegedly used for large-scale cannabis cultivation.

This discovery followed a vehicle intercept on the Warrego Highway at Helidon on July 18, 2022 where police allegedly found about 200kg of processed cannabis.

The operation resulted in the destruction of all cannabis plants and the dismantling of hydroponic equipment used in the alleged activities.