Seven men charged over meth, cocaine and tobacco smuggling ring uncovered by joint strike force
Seven men have been charged with a multimillion-dollar importation plot, which included hundreds of kilograms of drugs and 20 million illegal cigarettes as part of a major joint strike force probe.
Police & Courts
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Seven men have been charged with serious drug and tobacco importation offences following a major investigation into a Sydney-based criminal syndicate allegedly using a freight forwarding company to smuggle illicit goods into Australia.
The investigation – led by the Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) targeted people the believed to be “trusted insiders” aiding transnational organised crime.
Strike Force Aulic was launched in September 2023 to probe the activities of a 42-year-old man and his associates, who were allegedly circumventing border controls to import large quantities of prohibited drugs and illicit tobacco.
Police allege the man used a freight forwarding business in Punchbowl to orchestrate multiple imports, including a July 2024 shipment of more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine concealed inside an industrial cooler sent from Vancouver, Canada.
Two men, aged 43 and 31, were observed in August 2024 accessing the cooler at a Riverstone property and allegedly preparing to extract the methamphetamine.
The 43-year-old was arrested later that day at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry.
A subsequent search uncovered gel blasters, a methamphetamine “cookbook” and other drug manufacturing items.
He was hit with 17 charges, including attempted possession of a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and firearm offences and remains behind bars.
The 31-year-old man was arrested in Box Hill the same day with assistance from the Public Order & Riot Squad. He was charged with participating in a criminal group and granted conditional bail.
Investigators allege the syndicate also imported three shipments of more than 20 million illicit cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates through the same freight company.
In May, the 42-year-old man was allegedly arranging the importation of 50kg of cocaine from Panama, hidden inside cement bags. Authorities claim he enlisted the help of two men from Canada to recover the cocaine and distribute it to local crime networks.
MAST officers moved in on Friday, arresting four men during co-ordinated raids across Wetherill Park, Moorebank, Punchbowl, Smithfield, Doonside and Mt Annan. They also seized 243 boxes of illicit tobacco from storage facilities in Moorebank.
The 42-year-old alleged ringleader was charged with a string of offences, including three counts of importing large quantities of tobacco, two counts of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, money laundering, directing a criminal group and participating in a criminal group. He remains in custody and is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on July 31.
Another 42-year-old man was also charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and participating in a criminal group. He is due to reappear in court on June 5.
The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug and participating in a criminal group. Both were refused bail and are scheduled to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on June 13.
Further inquiries led to the arrest of a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on Saturday. He was charged with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group and also remains in custody.
MAST is made up of officers from the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force (ABF), NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), AUSTRAC and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) –
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