Triads targeting Australia as heroin imports from the Golden Triangle soar

Police say heroin is making a comeback on streets around the country, and they say Asian crime gangs are behind the dangerous drug’s resurgence.

Heroin use is on the rise in NSW with Asian crime syndicates targeting Australia with pure white heroin increasingly being imported detected coming from the “Golden Triangle’’.

“We are seeing a spike in people arrested for possession and also importations,‘’ said NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Stuart Smith.

“The purity is very high and we are even noticing packaging of the drug similar to what we had in the 80s and 90s,’’ he said.

Symbols such as 666 and Good Fortune have also been found on heroin seized which were popular back then and crooks who were active in that era are also re emerging as distributors of the lethal drug.

Crime gangs such as the infamous Triads from Hong Kong are also involved in the importation of heroin into Australia.

Australia's heroin crisis

* Heroin use up 25pc during 2017-2019
* Estimated 940kg consumed nationally from 2018 to 2019 
* NSW’s yearly consumption of heroin is around 307 kg
* In the 10 years to 2019, heroin importation detections increased 141pc
* Consumption of heroin in Sydney increased in December 2020 and February 2021 and above the national average for capital city sites. 
* Average regional consumption in NSW well above the national regional average, and in December 2020 was the highest estimated regional consumption nationally
* Asia-based organised crime syndicates are likely responsible for the increase in detections although an intelligence gap exists surrounding the reasons for large shipments 
* The heroin market remains small but appears to be expanding
* Despite Covid-19 restrictions in the last 4 months of 2019–20, a record 2,230 national heroin seizures were recorded. 
* In 2019–20, New South Wales accounted for the greatest proportion of national heroin seizures (58 per cent), weight of heroin seized nationally (61 per cent), as well as number of national other opioid seizures (59 per cent) 
* Victoria has consistently been the centre of heroin use in the nation, but over the past year New South Wales has reached similar proportions 
Sources: Australian Intelligence Commission and national wastewater results

“We are nowhere near those terrible days where people were shooting up in the streets but there is a very worrying spike which we are aware of and addressing‘’ he said.

The Australian Crime Intelligence Commission figures recorded a staggering 141 per cent increase of heroin detections from 2010 to 2019, and there has been large importations seized since then.

“This is a deadly drug, highly addictive and can lead to an increase in other associated crimes like burglaries to feed the habit. We are watching all of these things to ensure that we get on top of it,‘’ he said.

”It‘s cheaper for the Asian crime gangs to target Australia because of proximity meaning their logistics are cheaper as well as it being highly addictive keeping demand and their profits up. Importing cocaine from Columbia and the like is more expensive,’’ he said.

Police suspect the majority of the drug is coming from the traditional Golden Triangle region of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

Heroin is making a comeback around Australia. Picture: NSW Police

Three people were arrested last week for allegedly being involved in the supply of heroin. Picture: NSW Police

A special strike force was recently set up in the Kings Cross Command targeting heroin supply and distribution after local police became aware of a spate of overdoses from the drug.

After the deaths of six party goers at NSW music festivals, the Combined Surveillance and monitoring of Seized Samples was set up collating data from the NSW police force, NSW health ministry and NSW Health Pathology Forensic and Analytical Science Service.

“The monitoring of drug types has been a proactive combination of seizures, arrests, wastewater monitoring, and the CoSMoSS drug sampling program.”

Another possible factor in the resurgence of heroin is that the cost of cocaine is increasing dramatically with high grade coke.

Mr Smith also believes there is the prospect of more heroin hitting the world markets from Afghanistan as the Taliban rule establishes itself where the once highly productive poppy fields have been relatively dormant but could soon be re-established under the new regime.

Police believe that Asian crime gangs are behind the movement of much of the heroin. Picture: NSW Police

$150,000 cash was seized along with the heroin in the latest arrests. Picture: NSW Police

Figures compiled by the Australian Intelligence Crime Commission backup Assistant Commision Smith’s concerns.

In the two months of December last year and January this year 1770 kgs of heroin was detected coming into Australia which would previously been a year’s supply.

“And 86 per cent of that weight was detected in NSW,” Mr Smith said.

Last week the NSW Organised crime squad arrested three people for allegedly being involved in the supply and distribution of heroin in Sydney.

Police seized 700g of heroin and $150,000 cash.