Meth cooks Yang Wang and Peng Zhang jailed for manufacturing methylamphetamine at Point Frederick

Two men who operated a multimillion-dollar meth lab from a luxury Central Coast home have been jailed after a covert police operation exposed their links to a criminal drug syndicate.

Peng Zhang, (left) has been sentenced alongside Yang Wang for manufacturing methylamphetamine at a property on the Central Coast.

Two men who operated a multimillion-dollar meth lab from a luxury Central Coast home have been jailed after a covert police operation exposed their links to a criminal drug syndicate.

Yang Wang, 48, of West Pennant Hills, and Peng Zhang, 46, of Riverwood, were sentenced in Gosford District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to a number of charges, with the most serious charge being manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

Police had been surveilling the pair from July 10, 2023, and uncovered a number of messages via an encrypted messaging app to a person known as ‘Cambodian Master’.

The court heard the messages related to the drug‑manufacturing process, with Zhang messaging the ‘Cambodian Master’ for advice.

The messages detailed a number of steps and provided instructions on how to create the product.

Peng Zhang, of Riverwood, has pleaded guilty to manufacturing 10kg of meth in a vacant unit at Point Frederick. Picture: supplied

In the afternoon of July 18, 2023, both men were photographed by police at Bunnings Warehouse in West Gosford.

There, they purchased a number of foil trays before returning to the property at Point Frederick.

Police unearthed a number of foil trays at the Point Frederick home.

At one point Zhang messaged his handler, writing “Master, call me back”, and the “Cambodian Master” replied via voice message, warning him to avoid fire because the substance was flammable, while also reassuring him that they were doing “a good job”.

On 20 July 2023, Zhang and his accomplice were seen on CCTV at the Royal Pavilion Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Sussex Street in Chinatown. Zhang was captured leaving with a blue shopping bag containing $27,300 in cash.

The following day, police launched a series of three simultaneous raids on the house at Point Frederick and the homes in Riverwood and West Pennant Hills.

At the Point Frederick property, officers found over 11 kilograms of methylamphetamine, along with numerous items used in the drug‑manufacturing process.

Yang and Wang were both sentenced to jail in the Gosford District

Judge Tanya Bright described the case as involving “very serious objective criminality”.

She said that each offender had been involved in the large‑scale manufacture of methamphetamine and that the supply of prohibited drugs to the community destroys lives, disrupts families and imposes significant social and financial costs.

“The community expects that persons who participate in the manufacture of prohibited drugs will face punishment,” she said.

Both Zhang and Wang were sentenced to six years and four months’ jail. They will be eligible for parole September next year.

Originally published as Meth cooks Yang Wang and Peng Zhang jailed for manufacturing methylamphetamine at Point Frederick