Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel joins forces with deadly Nigerian crime network in Sydney
The Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel, described as the most ruthless and deadly in the world, has joined forces with the increasingly dangerous Nigerian crime network in Sydney to carry out large-scale drug importation.
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The Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel, described as the most ruthless and deadly in the world, has joined forces with the increasingly dangerous Nigerian crime network in Sydney to carry out large-scale drug importation.
When Federal Police uncovered $85 million worth of ice hidden in 11 generators that were imported to a Western Sydney business, the investigation led straight back to the murderous Sinaloa cartel and several Nigerians living in Western Sydney.
And sources have told The Daily Telegraph there are now a number of established West African crime groups operating in Sydney, working alongside the Mexicans, who are believed to have been involved in similar large-scale drug importations.
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During an 11-week trial in the NSW District Court that ended last month, Mexican national Prince Ibeh said he was approached by a person acting for the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.
He said he was paid $10,000 plus expenses to fly to Australia and help organise the importation.
The amount of planning put into the sophisticated operation is highlighted by documents tendered to the court which showed that one of the Sydney syndicate members, Donatus Ozoani, registered a company with ASIC called AAM Heavy Equipment and Motor Parts with a Melbourne address in 2014, two years before the importation.
The following year Ozoani and a Melbourne man, Onyedika Anaeto were involved in renting warehouse space in Western Sydney where they planned to ship the drugs.
They transferred more than $13,000 into the account of a local real estate agent before Ozoani left the country and flew to Abu Dhabi and on to Nigeria.
A few months later on March 17, two containers laden with 130kg of methamphetamine arrived in Sydney on a cargo ship from Manzanillo, Mexico destined for a warehouse on Wingate Rd in Mulgrave.
The warehouse had been rented by the syndicate before Christmas but since the real estate agent had not heard from Ozoani the building was leased to someone else.
Using his connections in the Nigerian community he found another property in Rossmore with Sydney Uber driver Joseph Udunna.
Ibeh packed up the drugs in Mexico and then came to Australia where he linked up with the other three men including Anaeto who travelled up from Melbourne a number of times.
Ibeh’s job was to oversee the removal of the drugs.
But due to a mix up with paper work the generators were kept at Mascot for months accruing more than $70,000 in storage fees which prompted Australian border Force officers to inspect the cargo where they uncovered the drugs.
It was then that Federal Police removed the drugs, replaced them with a substitute powder and began a surveillance operation, including phone taps, which intercepted more than 7500 calls.
In the phone conversations the men always spoke in code referring to sharing “rice and beans’’ meaning profits from the drug importation.
On June 2, Ibeh and Ozoani went to Supercheap Auto near Rossmore to buy the tools needed to extract the drugs but failed.
The next morning they went to Bunnings at Minchinbury where they purchased more tools and finally were able to extract what they thought was their illicit haul worth millions, when in fact it was worthless powder.
They then returned to the Novotel at Rooty Hill, stashed the gear in the hotel safe and were going for a walk to dispose of the tins the drugs were in when police moved in and arrested them.
On December 7 last year all four men were found guilty of the commercial importation of drugs.
It comes as federal law enforcement agencies and NSW Police have been told the Mexican cartels have “ramped up’’ the production of heroin recently.
They suspect that the Australian market will be a major target for distribution.
They are also bracing for the possibility there will be a flood of the deadly drugs fentanyl, carfentanil and opioids.
Originally published as Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel joins forces with deadly Nigerian crime network in Sydney
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