Ali Reza Khanbabayi and Ajmeer Kakall front court over drug bust
Two men are allegedly behind the importation of almost 100kg of meth stored in farm machinery with an estimated street value of $88m.
Leader
Don't miss out on the headlines from Leader . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Two men facing charges over an alleged attempt to haul almost 100kg of methamphetamine stored in farm machinery into Melbourne will return to court in July.
Tullamarine man Ali Reza Khanbabayi, 30, and 34-year-old Ajmeer Kakall, of Croydon Hills, were charged in January 2023 after police from Dubai detected a suspected drug importation attempt into Australia.
Mr Khanbabayi, from Tullamarine, is charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine.
Mr Kakall, of Croydon Hills, is facing charges of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
Both men made a brief appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday and were ordered to return on July 18.
Mr Kakall is in custody while Mr Khanbabayi is on bail and both men are yet to enter pleas.
The Dubai Police Anti-Narcotics Team detected the huge amount of meth allegedly concealed in wheat thresher machines bound for Melbourne in October, sparking a massive joint investigation.
About 98kg of a substance believed to be meth was found inside 12 drive shafts when the machinery was intercepted by Australian Border Force officials in Melbourne last month.
The haul, if it hit our streets, would have been sold as about 980,000 individual street deals worth an estimated $88m.
Australian Federal Police also received intelligence from organised crime authorities in Serbia as they began to track the huge shipment as part of Operation Arion, which they suspect was orchestrated by an Afghan organised crime group.
Police executed search warrants at a property in Dewhurst, near Beaconsfield Upper, and a residence in Tullamarine, seizing items suspected of supporting meth labs.
The suspected role of an Afghan organised crime ring in masterminding the import remains under investigation by several international authorities.
Accountant allegedly upskirted girls in Ballarat, Melbourne
The director of a Ballarat accounting firm allegedly filmed kids’ genital regions at public pools, grocery stores, Officeworks, Melbourne Central, and other locations.
Accused man’s alleged vile and ‘extremely abusive’ threats
A Bendigo concreter broke down in tears when his bid for bail was refused after he was charged with threatening his alleged victim over 171 “extremely abusive” phone calls from prison.