NSW drug squad detectives face possible charges over alleged drug bungle

Two NSW Police detectives face possible criminal charges over the secret bungle inside the state’s elite drug squad.

Kilos of ice disappeared as part of the bungled operation.

Two detectives are facing possible criminal charges after allegedly giving a drug manufacturer the green light to cook ice for an investigation, only to see him vanish with almost $1 million worth of the drug.

After an 18 month investigation into the detectives, the NSW Police’s Professional Standards Command (PSC) has handed the dossier of evidence it collected to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for advice on whether they should face criminal charges.

Two other senior officers, an Inspector and a Superintendent, have already, or will, receive internal warnings for poor supervision of the bungled operation.

The investigation has also caused the collapse of a separate court case against another drug manufacturer, and has the potential to impact further cases.

The detectives, who were part of the NSW Police Drug Squad, were targeted by an internal disciplinary investigation over the methods they used in their operation.

The detective who is at the centre of the case being investigated by the Police’s Professional Standards Command.

Asked if the ODPP had made a decision on whether the officers should be prosecuted, a spokeswoman said: “The Office declines to comment.”

NSW Police confirmed PSC had made a number of referrals to the DPP, but said: “As the matters are ongoing, the NSW Police Force is not in a position to comment ­further.”

The saga began when two Detective Senior Constables attached to the Drug Squad’s Chemical Operations Unit set up what was meant to be an ingenious sting operation on those involved in the illegal drug trade.

The police provided a drug manufacturer with the glassware, precursor chemicals and a remote location to cook the drug ice. Their target was a buyer, and known “big fish” of the drug trade, who was to be arrested during the sale, a source said.

But before the sale could happen, the drug cook disappeared with 3.5kg of ice – worth almost $1 million – he had manufactured under the police sanctioned drug ­operation.

One source familiar with the case said there was little to no surveillance on the drugs being cooked for the police operation.

After the sting went sideways, the detectives had to report the disaster to their superiors, including a Detective Inspector who wrote a ­report to be submitted to the police hierarchy. But details of the bungle weren’t investi­gated until five years later.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC), which investigates police misconduct, received a complaint about the allegations against the drug squad detectives around 2018.

It is understood when PSC officers later searched the drug squad’s Parramatta ­offices in 2020, the report alerting senior police to the bungled operation was found in a desk drawer.

The Detective Senior Constable at the centre of the case had already ­resigned from the force. He had previously been nominated for police officer of the year.

The other detective has been suspended.

The Detective Inspector, who sources say has only been dragged into the investigation because he was supervising the investigation team, is currently on leave.

He is not among the officers who have been referred to the DPP.

It has recently emerged that the internal investigation has caused another drug case to collapse.

A man, who cannot legally be identified, was facing charges of manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

However, it emerged that the officer in charge of his case was the now retired Detective Senior Constable who oversaw the missing ice ­operation.

The man’s defence lawyer, Robert Daoud of Sydney Criminal Defence Lawyers, said the development had huge ramifications for his ­client’s case.

“The mere existence of this detective on my client’s matter had the potential to contaminate the whole case if it went before a jury,” Mr Daoud said.

On the second day of the man’s trial, the Crown Prosecutor informed the judge about the development.

The case went behind closed doors and was protected by a series of non publication and suppression orders while lawyers argued over the issue.

The case was settled when the man accepted an offer from the crown to allow him to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manufacturing an indictable quantity of drugs – instead of the large commercial quantity charge.

Mr Daoud said there could be a number of other cases impacted in a similar way.

“Current or concluded case where this detective has acted as the officer in charge could now be called into question,” he said.