Port drug bust: How police found Sydney man allegedly working for overseas crime syndicate

An unassuming Sydney logistics industry worker infiltrated Port Botany’s security systems, importing legitimate goods in shipping containers before importing drug laden ones, police allege.

An unassuming Sydney logistics industry worker infiltrated Port Botany’s security systems, importing legitimate goods in shipping containers before importing drug laden ones – and even flying in a crew from overseas to help in his ruse, police allege.

So deep was diesel mechanic Gurvinder Singh ensconced in his drug operation, police allege, that a row broke out between he and his wife, who lambasted him as a “smuggler” and a “criminal” before goading him to “go sit in jail with the Lebs”, according to phone calls tapped by police and obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

Seven men have been charged with drug importation offences following a Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) investigation. Picture: Supplied

Police allege Singh, who runs GB Truck Centre in Smithfield but was working for an overseas crime syndicate, had been ordering legitimate goods into Port Botany before overseeing four massive illicit shipments, including 50 kilograms of cocaine, 282 litres of methamphetamine and almost 30 million illegal cigarettes from July 2024 until his arrest this week.

The shipments allegedly came from Canada, Panama and the United Arab Emirates – all of which had been concealed in various ways including in bags of cement or inside industrial coolers.

And Singh’s alleged operation was not haphazard but methodically planned, according to authorities.

Seven men have been charged with drug importation offences following a Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) investigation into trusted insiders importing illicit drugs into Sydney. Picture: Supplied

It is alleged Singh, who is being legally represented by high-profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib, used company names such as AB Trading, Swift Furniture and One Stop Building Warehouse to build up a legitimate “importation history” footprint to authorities while importing goods such as steel, face masks and charcoal before bringing in the drugs.

High-profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib is representing Singh. Picture: Supplied

He also allegedly made sure to conceal his calls and texts, using encrypted messaging app Threema under the username “RED LINE”, as well as WhatsApp.

However, his attempts at keeping his alleged conversations a secret failed, with police tapping his calls and texts.

At one point he was allegedly intercepted speaking to a person known to police about a “tracker” that had been put in the shipment of 282 litres of liquid meth.

Singh had grown nervous about the shipment after his “boys” allegedly realised there were no drugs in the container sent from Vancouver, but little did he know they had actually been intercepted and seized by police.

Seven men have been charged with drug importation offences following a Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) investigation into trusted insiders importing illicit drugs into Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Singh allegedly said: “Yeah, yeah – there was a tracker”, to which the person known to police replied: “Yeah, yeah, yeah – fucking nervous hey?”

“Like f**king what’s going on cause it … it came out of storage and it had the stuff in it, but the boys who sent it said they said there’s nothing in it, it was just liquid, you know, liquid gas – that’s all that was in it,” Singh allegedly said.

During each of the shipments, Singh allegedly undertook some of his negotiations and illegal business dealings at a suburban park in Lansdowne – a popular place for kids to play – exchanging bags of huge sums of cash in exchange for help moving the drugs once in Sydney.

On one occasion in February, he arrived at the park with $393,400 stuffed in a bag, which he allegedly handed over to the person known to police.

In March, Singh told the person known to police members of his overseas syndicate would come to Australia to assist in a shipment, police allege.

According to police documents, Singh’s co-accused, Aman Kang, 24, and Mani Dhaliwal, 31, arrived at Sydney International Airport on May 22.

Then on May 27, a container arrived at Port Botany before authorities found 50 kilograms of contain hidden inside in pallets of cement.

The ship Maersk Buton. Picture: Vesselfinder

The cocaine was secretly seized by police and the container returned.

Police allege Singh’s co-accused later accessed the pallets of cement that previously contained the 50kg of cocaine.

Singh then messaged the person known to police: “Brother, we have an issue … it was loaded with bricks – no product”.

Eight minutes later, police swooped, arresting Singh, Kang Dhaliwal and another associate called Rajvir Kumar.

Singh, who is charged with multiple offences including drug importation, remains before the courts.

Originally published as Port drug bust: How police found Sydney man allegedly working for overseas crime syndicate