Four of six Malaysian drug syndicate members front court

Six crooks busted for heroin trafficking during an elaborate scheme that also uncovered wads of cash and branded items have learnt their fate.

Thang Nguyen was one of six people convicted and sentenced for his part in drug dealing in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

Members of a Malaysian drug syndicate busted for heroin trafficking out of Melbourne’s western suburbs have been sentenced to a combined 55 years’ jail.

Yong Cheng, Jimmy Lang, Khai Mong and Wei Teoh appeared for sentencing in the County Court on Tuesday after last week pleading guilty to a swag of charges in relation to drug dealing.

Thang Nguyen, 73, was last week sentenced to six-months imprisonment after pleading guilty to one charge of heroin trafficking.

Another person, Janet Tran, 50, admitted to charges of heroin trafficking and dealing in $19,500 in proceeds of crime and will be sentenced at a later date.

The six were arrested as part of Operation Kingfisher that Victoria Police launched in 2021 to identify drug dealing in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

Police recovered more than $600,000 in cash which were proceeds of crime, more than four kilograms of the about 14kg of heroin the Director of Public Prosecutions believes was trafficked, and other items, during pre-dawn raids last year.

Luxury handbags, watches and shoes, jewellery and gold were also seized.

Police unearthed 42 separate transactions of drug dealing and executed warrants across Melbourne suburbs, including Box Hill, Springvale, Braybrook and Dingley Village, and the six arrested.

A large number of mobile phones were also seized as part of the police operation.

Teoh, 30, copped 16 years and four months, with a minimum non parole of 12 years.

He trafficked at least 14kg of heroin and 28 grams of methamphetamine. He acted as the chief sales manager and promoted the product. A Malaysian on an Australian bridging visa, he was convicted of heroin trafficking in December 2019 and sentenced to eight months.

He will be deported to Malaysia after completing his prison term.

Lang was jailed for 16 years and four months, with a minimum non parole of 12 years. He worked in tandem with Teoh and was his trusted associate and co principal.

Police recovered $319,248 worth of luxury handbags, watches and shoes, jewellery and gold, and $1850 in cash from a house he lived in.

He, too, is on a bridging visa.

Cheng, 28, of Penang in Malaysia will serve eight years and three months of his 11 years and four months sentence before being eligible for parole.

He acted as the dedicated driver for Teoh and Lang, as well as collected drugs from safe houses where they were packaged.

Mong, a trusted mentor and adviser to Teoh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months for his role. The 73-year-old from Vietnam had twice been to jail for heroin trafficking in Melbourne.

The superior grade of heroin was known as 168 which sold at between $128,000 and $140,000 “per pair” and the lower grade was called 175 that fetched between $115,000 and $130,000.