Ari Ching sentenced for drug trafficking, possession, firearms charges

A Melbourne drug courier who was using the Hume Highway to transport huge amounts of coke, cannabis and ketamine into NSW has been taken down.

Wodonga highway patrol intercepted the men on the Hume Highway who were transporting drugs from Riddells Creek to NSW.

A Melbourne drug courier who was using the Hume Highway to transport huge amounts of coke, cannabis and ketamine into NSW was taken down after a police investigation into his illicit cross-border operation.

Ari Ching, 26, faced the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday having pleaded guilty to six charges relating to trafficking cocaine and ketamine, possessing MDMA and cannabis, dealing in proceeds of crime and possessing imitation firearms.

Ching and his co-offender were the targets of a police investigation and were known to be travelling from the Riddells Creek area to regional NSW on September 20, 2023.

They were intercepted on the Hume Freeway by members of Wodonga highway patrol who searched the vehicle and found two large vacuum sealed bags containing cannabis.

The pair was transported to Wodonga police station and when searched Ching voluntarily produced a bag of cocaine and ketamine from his underwear.

Police also searched a Riddell’s Creek home Ching was known to stay at regularly where a safe, money, imitation firearms, cocaine, ketamine and MDMA were among the items found and seized.

In total, $81,320 cash was located and seized.

The gross weight of cocaine was 346.4g with a pure weight of 243g and the gross weight of ketamine was 47.5g with a pure weight of 42g.

The gross weight of the cannabis was 893.7g and the gross weight of the MDMA was 10.8g.

Ching’s co-offender Kurt Riordan-Martin was charged with trafficking cannabis, possessing cocaine and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime and was sentenced to an 18-month CCO at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court in 2024.

Ari Ching, 26, faced the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday to be sentenced on six charges. Picture: NewsWire/Diego Fedele

Judge Martine Marich said she “struggled” with Ching’s sentence because he had matured since his offending and had engaged positively with drug and alcohol counselling, but the crimes were “very serious”.

Judge Marich said trafficking was “morally corrupt”, creates dangers in the community and had negative mental and physical affects on users.

She said Ching was a medium risk of reoffending and had good prospects of rehabilitation, if he continued to abstain from drug use, which had been almost a daily occurrence at the time of offending.

“You have literally turned your life around since this offending,” Judge Marich said.

She said Ching was now the owner of a building company, was remorseful, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and was in the maintenance stage of his recovery from drug addiction.

Ching was sentenced to 17 days in prison for the cocaine trafficking charge.

He was also sentenced to a community corrections order, which included 300 hours of unpaid community work and drug, alcohol and mental health treatment, for both trafficking charges and possession of cannabis.

He was fined $5000 for possessing MDMA, dealing in proceeds of crime and the firearms charge.

Ching served his 17 days pre-sentence detention in 2023.