Car salesman among six Queenslanders charged as AFP bust group allegedly running Colombian cocaine lab near Kingaroy
Police have seized $175m in drugs from rural Queensland cocaine factory with links to a Columbian syndicate. Six Queenslanders including a Brisbane car salesman have been charged.
Police & Courts
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An alleged purpose-built “cocaine factory” hidden at the back of a rural property near Kingaroy has been shut down and drugs worth up to $175 million have been seized in a large-scale Australian Federal Police operation that’s led to the arrest of nine Australians, including six Queenslanders, allegedly linked to bikie gangs and a Colombian syndicate.
Australian Federal Police busted the alleged international-scale syndicate which they say had the potential to produce hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and an operation to supply the drug throughout the east coast.
They allege the group was using a property at Durong – in the South Burnett region – to extract cocaine from another substance that would render 700kg in pure cocaine.
Six Queenslanders, five men and a woman, were arrested on Commonwealth charges in relation to the bust after 10 warrants were executed in Durong, the Gold Coast and Brisbane and interstate.
The alleged syndicate involved two Colombian nationals with knowledge of the extraction process who travelled to Australia, Brisbane Magistrates Court heard.
The nine people arrested are alleged to be members of what police described as “relentless” Australian arm of a coke cartel who would onsell to bikie gangs for distribution.
The case against the defendants is alleged to include telephone intercepts, physical evidence, surveillance and listening devices.
MULTIPLE ARRESTS IN THREE STATES
The arrest of a 38-year-old Sydney man allegedly caught with 10kg of cocaine in two fridges loaded on the back of a Volkswagen Amarok ute triggered arrests around the country in three states.
Just after 7pm the vehicle was surrounded by police when pulled over at a service station at Heatherbrae north of Newcastle at the same time as police arrested another eight people around the country.
AFP acting Superintendent Detective Ben Moses said police would allege 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.
Supt Moses said a Darwin man was alleged to be the Australian-based organiser who was allegedly receiving instructions from overseas and would direct its operations in Australia.
Police allege the set-up suggested the syndicate was very organised and capable of operating on an international scale, with the ability and infrastructure to move product very quickly.
The scale of the operation is alleged to be among the biggest every discovered in Queensland.
Supt Moses said police began its investigations into the alleged syndicate in May after a person of interest was seen picking up the Colombian national from Sydney airport.
The arrest of a 38-year-old Sydney man allegedly caught with 10 kgs of cocaine in two fridges loaded on the back of a Volkswagen Amarok ute triggered arrests around the country in three states.
Just after 7pm the vehicle was surrounded by police when pulled over at a service station at Heatherbrae north of Newcastle at the same time as police arrested another eight people around the country.
Supt Moses said the “cocaine factory” was alleged to have been deliberately set up to elude police and the public.
“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.
“By way of results and the scale, we stopped it in its tracks.”
SIX QUEENSLANDERS CHARGED
Among those arrested was a Brisbane car dealership sales manager who is accused of building a shed in regional Queensland and sourcing equipment for the extraction of 700 kilograms of pure cocaine has been granted bail.
Douglas Hercules Ivan Sinnamon, 31, is facing one count of conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of cocaine.
Commonwealth prosecutor Mathew Thompson opposed bail on the basis he posed a risk of failing to appear.
He alleged Sinnamon’s role was the arranging of the construction of the shed where the coke was to be extracted.
Mr Thompson alleged he also purchased some of the equipment to be used in that process.
He said Sinnamon’s offending occurred from the period May to July this year.
“The very high quantity of drugs involved here are emphasised,” he said.
Despite no cash or drug paraphernalia being found in his Spring Hill address when police raided it last night, more than $1.5 million in cash was found on another syndicate member, the court heard.
Mr Thompson said he was allegedly recorded discussing that the shed looked suspicious and farm animals should be brought onto the property.
Lawyer Brendan Beavon said his client was a sales manager at a Moorooka car dealership, was in a long-term relationship and had no criminal history.
Mr Beavon said the evidence largely related to him constructing a shed and contained exculpatory conversation which referred to him as just a worker who had “no idea about the business”.
Mr Beavon said his client had significant ties to the community and would be willing to offer a surety of $25,000.
Mr Thompson said lab equipment consistent with extracting cocaine was allegedly present at the shed when search warrants were executed yesterday.
He alleged Sinnamon may have the means to flee if granted bail.
“The syndicate included international clients and it is submitted there would be financial backing in relation to an operation of this kind,” he said.
“Therefore, there’ll be some means to leave the jurisdiction or fail to appear.”
The Colombian nationals arrived in Australia in April the court heard.
Sinnamon’s emotional partner attended court and confronted several Australian Federal Police officers in attendance.
“Can I talk to you about fixing my front door,” she said to an AFP officer during the middle of a court proceeding.
“We’re in court right now,” the officer said.
“Oh sorry”.
Outside the courtroom she called them “f*****g c***s”.
“Lets get the f**k out of here,” she said to her friends.
Later, in another courtroom she gave officers the finger as she left after being told by Ms Merrin that she was being disruptive.
The matter was adjourned to August 26.
Magistrate Belinda Merrin granted bail on conditions including he report to police seven days a week, surrender any passport, not contact witnesses or co-accused, not go within 500 metres of an international departure point, have only one mobile phone with no encryption software and post a $25,000 surety.
A Gold Coast court where another one of the accused Queenslanders, 35-year-old builder Gregory Murphy, appeared heard the cocaine had an estimated street value of between $137 million and $175 million.
Federal police opposed a bail application by Murphy, alleging he played a “controlling role” in the syndicate and that $1.75 million in cash had been found at his girlfriend’s house.
Southport Magistrates Court heard the girlfriend’s brother – who was Murphy’s housemate – had also been charged.
Both men were charged with conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of controlled drugs (cocaine).
The court was told that a warehouse at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast was used to store chemicals and fuel which Murphy allegedly drove to the Durong drug lab on multiple occasions to process the cocaine.
The court heard, after the drug bust, phone taps allegedly revealed Murphy telling a co-conspirator: “they have got it … no drugs this weekend.”
He also allegedly told a co-conspirator that he would be ‘set for life … you might be in prison but you will get looked after. You won’t get bashed.”
Murphy and other alleged syndicate members were preparing to make an at-sea pick-up of drugs off Darwin, Commonwealth prosecutor Daniel Trigger told the court.
Defence lawyer Campbell MacCallum said the allegations against his client were serious but the case was circumstantial, with no apparent forensic evidence against Murphy.
He said Murphy had no criminal history, earned up to $200,000 a year as a self-employed builder and had strong family support.
Murphy’s father was willing to provide a $400,000 surety and live with his parents at Tenterfield if given bail, Mr MacCallum said.
Magistrate Mark Bamberry was yet to rule on the bail application late Friday afternoon.
Alexander Villegas Jaramillo, 38, and Fabio Fernandez Pulgarin, 48, were arrested on Friday in connection to the operation.
It will be alleged that Mr Pulgarin, known as “the chemist”, flew to Australia to teach his method of cocaine production to others at the syndicate.
The two Colombian men are facing one count each of conspiracy to manufacture commercial quantities of controlled drugs.
Both matters were adjourned with Mr Colgara to front the court again on Monday.
Mr Jaramillo’s case will next be mentioned in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on October 17.
Neither made an application for bail, with both to be remanded in custody until their next court date.
Truck driver Tuna Samuelu, charged with drug trafficking, was also granted bail.
Police will allege he attended the shed in Durong with Sinnamon where they put 11 kilograms of cocaine into a car that was later intercepted in NSW with the drugs in the boot.
Mr Thompson agreed his alleged culpability was lower than Sinnamon’s and was limited to the movement of the 11 kilograms of cocaine.
He opposed bail for Samuelu on the basis he was a risk of failing to appear.
His legal aid lawyer Caroline Hunter said Samuelu, 37, lived at Kedron and drove full time for trucking company Kingaroy Freight Express.
Ms Hunter said it was not a particularly strong case against her client.
The court he had a limited criminal history.
Ms Merrin granted bail on conditions including the surrender of his passport, reporting to police three times a week and no contacting witnesses or co-accused.
COPS ALLEGE COLOMBIA-BORN AUSSIE BEHIND OPERATION
Meanwhile, police have accused a Colombian-born Aussie of orchestrating the massive cocaine operation that struck a deal with bikie gangs to send hundreds of kilos of cocaine across the country.
Darwin bodybuilder Rhys Alwyn Ferzst, 33 has been unmasked as the man police allege headed up a cocaine empire backed by the Colombian cartel.
Fezst was arrested in dramatic scenes on Thursday night after leaving the gym.
He is alleged to have used the help of a mystery Spanish-Colombian national known as “the chemist” who allegedly flew down under to teach his method of cocaine production to an Aussie syndicate.
He has today been revealed to be Fabio Fernandez Pulgarin, 48.
Police later allegedly uncovered steroids, thousands of dollars in cash and seized a boat that they are probing whether was involved in drug shipments dropped into the ocean hundreds of kilometres off the Northern Territory coast.
It is alleged the muscled-up Ferzst directed the Aussie cartel’s operations and would receive instructions from Colombia about a shipment of cocaine smuggled into NSW from overseas.
Ferzst was charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs while Shammas was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of cocaine.
Both men now face a potential life sentence in jail if convicted.
Another person arrested is alleged courier Emad Shammas from Rooty Hill, who was arrested near Newcastle, with allegedly 11kg of cocaine in his ute.
Several others have been hit with money laundering, drug trafficking charges and even assisting with building a massive facility to produce the drugs.
The shed lab at Durong is in the process of being pulled apart which is expected to take about four days.
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