Trio of alleged drug smugglers arrested after alleged attempt to import $500m worth of meth

A trio of alleged drug smugglers have been arrested after trying to import more $500 million worth of meth into Brisbane hidden in rolls of fabric, with one of the accused refused bail.

A traffic controller is among a trio of alleged drug smugglers who has been arrested for allegedly trying to import $555 million worth of meth into Brisbane hidden in rolls of fabric.

Tony Nguyen, 30, Martin Nguyen, 24, and Brendan Ky, 22, were arrested by police at a Bowen Hills warehouse on Monday afternoon over an alleged plot to import 597kg of meth in a shipping container.

But police will allege the Sydney men - who they had been surveilling for months - could be part of a larger syndicate who were conducting their first attempt to smuggle drugs into the country from Thailand.

Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said it was one of the biggest meth seizures they’d seen in Queensland.

Tony Nguyen, 30, Martin Nguyen, 24, and Brendan Ky, 22, were arrested by police at a Bowen Hills warehouse on Monday afternoon over an alleged plot to import 597kg of meth in a shipping container.

“The people behind importations like this have absolutely no regard for the harm and damage the illicit drugs wreak on this Australian community every minute of every day,” Superintendent Telfer said.

Police will allege Australian Border Force (ABF) officers identified and intercepted a cargo ship after it arrived at Port of Brisbane in June.

The illicit drugs were allegedly concealed in eight wooden crates declared as “UV protective fabrics”.

ABF officers found multiple red flags with the consignment and conducted forensic testing, which located 597kg of meth in almost 12,000 packages wrapped inside 200 rolls of fabric.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) was alerted and removed the drugs from the consignment, but allowed the delivery to take place on July 14.

The consignment was delivered to a warehouse on Thompson St in Bowen Hills - which police allege the men had rented - where they were allegedly waiting nearby.

Police will allege Tony Nguyen and Ky started to unravel the rolls of fabric while Martin Nguyen drove to Bunnings to buy an electronic scale to weigh the meth they were expecting to find.

The drugs were allegedly hidden in bundles of fabric transported from Thailand by sea. Picture ABF

It is alleged the men realised the drugs were missing and suddenly left the warehouse, but officers from the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Task Force quickly pounced and arrested the trio.

They have each been charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

Superintendent Telfer said police wouldn’t rule out further arrests as they believed the men were allegedly part of a larger syndicate.

“Over the last couple of months, we became aware that these individuals were linked to that warehouse,” Superintendent Telfer said.

“We do believe this is the first incident that we’ve identified (from this syndicate).

“In terms of meth, this is one of the largest seizures we have seen here in Queensland, that’s for sure.”

ABF Acting Assistant Commissioner James Copeman said the shipment was incredibly sophisticated, with the alleged offenders trying to conceal the drugs in the end of fabric rolls to avoid detection.

Police say the drugs weighed almost 600kg. Picture ABF

“The sheer volume of methamphetamine hidden within legitimate-looking fabric rolls speaks to the lengths criminal syndicates will go to, but it also highlights the extraordinary capability of ABF officers to detect and disrupt even the most convincing smuggling attempts,” Mr Copeman said.

All three men had their matters mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where Martin Nguyen was refused bail despite his lawyer Ashkan Tai arguing he had a lesser role in the offending to his co-accused.

Commonwealth prosecutor Charlotte Gill said Nguyen, who works as a traffic controller, and the other men tried to “flee” from the warehouse before their arrest.

Mr Tai argued his client purchasing a scale simply wasn’t enough to prove he had knowledge of the drugs, but Magistrates Louise Shepherd wasn’t satisfied.

Ms Shepherd noted the “sheer volume” of the seizure and the evidence Nguyen had been at the Bowen Hills address when she denied his bail and remanded him in custody.

Ms Shepherd also said there were significant police investigations into the matter still continuing.

Tony Nguyen and Brendan Ky made no application for bail and were both remanded in custody.

All three men’s matters were adjourned for mention at Brisbane Magistrates Court on August 1.

Originally published as Trio of alleged drug smugglers arrested after alleged attempt to import $500m worth of meth