Australian furniture removalists busted as drug couriers

Aussie furniture removalists are smuggling thousands of kilos of drugs across state borders. See how crime lords are recruiting them.

Exclusive: Furniture removalists have been busted moonlighting as drug couriers, smuggling their illicit cargo across state borders in specially crafted hidey holes.

One of the country’s most powerful law enforcement agencies has lifted the lid on the elaborate new operations, which begin the minute the drugs arrive at Sydney’s sea and airports.

From there, the NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC) says many thousands of kilos of drugs are being secreted inside furniture and logistics trucks and driven by road into Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

Drugs and cash are being seized from furniture trucks travelling interstate. Picture: NSW Police

“There are people specialising in creating concealed compartments in vehicles (such as behind headlights),” NSWCC Commissioner Michael Barnes said.

Mr Barnes said the syndicates were using people to set up businesses and also recruiting employees working with trucking companies.

“Being a criminal is not a full time job. Sometimes they are running other businesses,” Mr Barnes said.

The Commission, working with its other law enforcement agency partnersover the last year, had discovered that drugs were travelling from Sydney to the other states with cash being brought back on the return trip.

The elaborate operations begin the minute the drugs arrive at Sydney’s sea and airports. Picture: NSW Police

In one significant recent bust, the Commission with the NSW Police Force investigated a scheme whereby a furniture removal and transport company has been created expressly for the purposes of moving drugs and cash interstate.

“At least three employees of this transport company were complicit in the activity and knowingly concealed prohibited drugs and cash inside furniture …” the Commission’s annual report revealed.

Michael Barnes, Commissioner of the NSW Crime Commission, says the use of transport and logistics by organised crime groups is prevalent. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The criminal network operating the scheme tried to give themselves “legitimate cover” just in case they were pulled over by law enforcement, with a crime syndicate member creating and supplying false invoices but using the details of legitimate customers of the furniture company.

Seven people were arrested, 250 kilos of drugs were seized, along with $450,000 cash.

In its annual report, the commission noted crime gangs were relying on multi-pronged operations to get drugs into the country – using post air and sea drops to mitigate financial risks associated with large one-off imports.

And the operations were often being directed by expat Australian organised criminals who had left the country to avoid law enforcement.

Mr Barnes said the focus of crime syndicates remains distributing the drugs around the country, laundering money and the escalating violence, including murder, between organised crime gangs over their drug turf.

“Use of transport and logistics by organised crime groups is prevalent,” he said.

The operations are often directed by expat Aussie criminals. Picture: NSW Police

The Commission warned the complex and covert drug smuggling routes showed “Sydney’s continued dominance as the organised crime hub of Australia”.

That has also been recognised in the past year with the Commission recovering a record $62 million in ill-gotten gains using its confiscation orders. It is more than double the amount confiscated last year.

According to the Commission, drugs have remained the most significant crime threat with more than half of the 722 charges laid in joint law enforcement and commission investigations.