Asbestos-contaminated soil on radar after fake waste depot invoices trigger alarm
A MULTI-agency effort is under way to locate an estimated 20,000 tonnes of asbestos extracted from a Sydney construction site before it was dumped illegally somewhere in Australia.
NSW
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THOUSANDS of tonnes of deadly asbestos-contaminated soil are missing, believed to have been illegally dumped at an unknown location.
A government agency raised the alarm after it discovered fake waste depot invoices supplied by a contractor hired to dispose of up to 20,000 tonnes of the contaminated material extracted from a Sydney construction site.
It is understood the asbestos, potentially lethal if inhaled, was instead moved on several occasions to an illegal dumping site.
Legally disposing of asbestos-contaminated material costs about $190 per tonne, meaning the contractor would have earnt about $3.8 million for his deliveries.
A police strike force working with the NSW Environment Protection Authority has been set up to investigate the circumstances of the illegal dumping, with the location of the asbestos still a mystery.
Strike Force Dothan, staffed by six full-time detectives, has appealed to the public for help in finding the illegal dumping site.
It is possibly the state’s biggest asbestos dumping scandal.
The problem has become so rampant that the Independent Commission Against Corruption last year recommended the state government consider creating a separate offence of asbestos dumping.
Under NSW laws, those found guilty of illegal dumping face fines of up to $120,000 and two years in prison.
FOUR TONNES OF ASBESTOS DUMPED IN SYDNEY DRIVEWAY
Formation of Strike Force Dothan followed an unrelated dumping case culminating in the arrest of Paul Mouawad last year for fraud offences.
Redfern detectives commenced an investigation in October into the disposal of building waste, including the illegal dumping of asbestos, from a building site at Darlington.
Following extensive inquiries, EPA investigators and police attended a home in Castle Hill, in Sydney’s northwest, later that month and arrested 47-year-old Mouawad.
During a search of the property, police allegedly located printing equipment.
Mouawad was charged with four counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
The charges do not relate to the missing asbestos.
Police will allege he used fraudulent receipts to defraud a construction company of more than $225,000.
He first appeared at Parramatta Local Court in November last year and is next due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court in October.
Police inquiries continue.