Three Australians arrested in Serbia over alleged cocaine syndicate
A WELL known livestock and construction industry figure is one of three Australians arrested in Serbia in connection to an alleged international cocaine smuggling syndicate.
NSW
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A WELL known livestock and construction industry figure has been arrested in Serbia in connection to an alleged international cocaine smuggling syndicate.
Rohan Arnold was one of three Australian men arrested in dramatic scenes inside the lobby of the luxury Metropol Palace hotel in the Serbian capital Belgrade overnight.
He is a director of the South East Livestock Exchange which owns two livestock sale yards, and lives near the NSW-ACT border.
“We were surprised, we’re still in shock,” fellow SELX director Brendan Abbey said.
“I spoke to him on Sunday, he was here in Australia. He said he was going overseas for a week and would be back next week for the opening here on Sunday.
“I just presumed he was going to China because he has interests in steel factories there.
“We can’t fathom (the arrest).”
Arnold is also well known in construction circles. He is a director of ArnoldCo, which “removes the unknown risks associated procurement with primarily construction related products from China” according to its website.
He boasts 20 years in the steel manufacturing industry and an education from both the University of Canberra and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Just a fortnight ago Arnold was advising his followers on the optimistic outlook of the global steel economy via his personal blog rohanarnold.com.
“Global demand for mass steel looks likely to increase in 2018, with emerging economies including Latin America and the Middle East experiencing strong urban development,” he wrote on January 5.
Video of Arnold’s arrest showed the three Australian men and a fourth Lebanese man enjoying drink in the hotel when armed Serbian police stormed the hotel and ordered them to lay facedown on the floor.
A bag filled with foreign currency banknotes is shown in the video, with local police saying the arrests were made during a “money handover”.
Serbian Police alleged the men “are linked to” the discovery of 1280 kilograms of cocaine that was seized in April 2017 on a Chinese container boat docked in Sydney, a statement issued on Wednesday says.
The drugs were said to be worth $500 million.