Drugs worth $1 billion seized in massive meth bust
FOUR men from NSW have been arrested in the biggest methamphetamine bust in Australia’s history, and are facing charges with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
NSW
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FOUR NSW men are among eight charged over the biggest methamphetamine bust in Australia’s history.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of more than $1 billion — weighing 1.2 tonnes — were allegedly imported from China into the port of Geraldton in Western Australia early Thursday.
Police claim the men were the “organisers and facilitators” of the billion-dollar plot which ended when investigators swooped as the drugs were being unloaded from a boat moored at a marina.
Authorities claim the alleged Australian-based crime syndicate had travelled more than 500km in rough seas in a former fishing charter boat to collect it from a “mother ship” before returning to Geraldton.
When the haul, 59 bags marked as containing rice and pig food containing 20kg of methamphetamine each arrived at 2am and were loaded into a hire van for an hour before being reversed down the dock, heavily armed police swooped.
Three NSW men in the van, Greenfield Park’s Waseem Sliwa Hermiz, 38, Fairfield’s Khalid Elia Keana, 55 and Campsie’s Serupepeli Anthony Rasaubale were arrested.
The alleged NSW skipper of the Valkoista, Long Jetty’s Joshua Joseph Smith, 43, and two South Australians, Christos Cafcakis, 44, of Adelaide, Patrick Leandro Bouhamdan, 48, were arrested on the boat.
Two other South Australians Stephen John Baxter, 37, and Sean Michael Dolman, 37, were arrested in Perth.
According to police, the alleged plot was first put into action around June when Smith purchased the Valkoista for $350,000.
Meanwhile, police claim preparations were already being made by other alleged members of the syndicate to order the drugs from China where a kilo wholesales for less $10,000.
That same kilo can fetch up to $1 million on Australian streets.
As the delivery date approached, police claim the syndicate members began gathering in Perth and Geraldton to make their final preparations.
Two would stay in Perth, allegedly ready to receive the drugs. The crew who would drive the drugs to Perth hired the van from a Perth company on Monday and had been booked to return it on Thursday.
The bulk of the drugs were destined for South Australia and NSW. Police say they had been monitoring the men for months.
“The AFP will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia — what these men didn’t count on was a calculated, intelligence-led response from the WA Joint Organised Crime Task Force which drew on the strengths and capabilities of the different agencies involved,” AFP Deputy Commissioner Operations Leanne Close said.
Police have not revealed the links between those men, but all were described as senior members of the operation.
All are now facing the prospect of life in prison if convicted over the importation.
The three arrested on the boat and the two detained in Perth were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, while the three in the van were charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
All eight appeared in court on Friday and were remanded in custody to reappear next month.
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