Australian Ice Thread

[poledriver]

Ice in a hotel room and in household appliances – two of our drug seizures late last week.

In one, we worked as part of a joint taskforce in WA to seize crystal methamphetamine with a potential street value of $66M.

It was located in a hotel room in vacuum sealed bags. Scales, phones and cash were also seized during the search warrant.

A 22-year-old-man was arrested at the scene and charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply.

This is the largest seizure of meth by the WA Joint Taskforce.

In another, we’ve charged a man with importing approximately 23kgs of meth into Australia.

This job began with our friends at the Australian Border Force detecting an anomaly in the door of a fridge that was part of a consignment of white goods imported from China.

When we searched inside the door, we found 69 packages of meth weighing a little over 10kgs.

Ten days later, ABF officers intercepted a second container shipped from China consisting of DVD players and televisions. We found fifty packages of meth weighing approximately 13kgs inside the DVD players.

A 27-year-old-man has been arrested and charged with two counts of importing a commercial quantity of meth, and two counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of meth.

Last but not least, a Melbourne drug syndicate was dismantled yesterday after four men were arrested in connection to 10.9kg of meth found in a shipment of ceramic horse statues.

Further investigations into the group resulted in another two seizures of meth, totalling 3.9kg.

All four men have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of drugs, and attempting to possess an unlawfully imported substance.

NSFW:

 

[poledriver]

Aspiring bikini model and her ex-husband escape jail after pleading guilty to a failed drug trafficking operation supplying meth to festival-goers

Renee Ellen Codrington and Jai Clinton King fronted the Supreme Court
The pair trafficked meth in a failed drug trafficking operation in 2013
Judge said 'the enterprise does not seem to have been very profitable,'
The pair were sentenced to terms of three years and nine months
Court heard the former bikini model suffered an 'addiction to drugs'

A one-time bikini model and her ex-husband have escaped jail time over their short-lived and unprofitable foray into Queensland's drug dealing scene.
Renee Ellen Codrington and her former partner, Jai Clinton King, fronted the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday charged with drug trafficking and other drug-related offences.
But despite Justice Debra Mullins admitting she had anticipated putting them behind bars, the pair were sentenced to terms of three years and nine months, wholly suspended.

The pair were tracked down through their dealers after a 14-month police operation called Kilo Hyperdrive which targeted drug networks on the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
The court heard Ms Codrington and Mr King were both unemployed when they trafficked methamphetamines between August and October 2013, as well as supplying it at the SPRUNG hip hop festival in September that year.
On the day of the festival Mr King packaged the drugs that were sold to punters by Ms Codrington, reports Courier Mail.

Crown Prosecutor Shauna Rankin agreed with Justice Mullins' assessment of the operation as low-level street dealing, citing a total of illicit substances in question as between two and three ounces over the relevant period.
The court also heard Ms Codrington, a former bikini model and well-referenced car detailer, had suffered a 'significant addiction to drugs' and been treated for depression.
The court also heard she had attended an alcohol and drug service to treat her addiction.

The 33-year-old met her former husband at her dealer's house but had a whirlwind romance, according to her lawyer, and have since separated.
When police raided her rented home near Forest Lake in October 2013 they found drugs containing almost 2.6 grams of pure methylamphetamines.
For his part, the court heard King had a 'violent disposition', tended towards big-noting himself and would use threats and physical attacks to carry out his drug-related activities.

'The enterprise does not seem to have been very profitable,' Justice Mullins observed.
Ms Codrington wept and dabbed her eyes with tissues as the sentence was handed down, while King appeared calm at the opposite end of the dock.
Under their suspended sentences, neither must commit another crime punishable by imprisonment for a period of four years.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-escape-jail-selling-meth.html#ixzz40dXtldSL

 

[poledriver]

Drugs found in ceramic horses, four Melbourne men arrested after AFP investigation

Australian Federal Police (AFP) have arrested four men and seized nearly 15 kilograms of methamphetamines, mostly hidden inside a shipment of horse statues in Melbourne.

Border Force officers intercepted a consignment destined for Broadmeadows, in Melbourne's north-west, in November.

After a three-month investigation, AFP officers arrested a 30-year-old Sierra Leone man in Truganina, in Melbourne's west, who police allege was the organiser of the drug ring.

They also arrested two Liberian nationals, aged 28 and 26, and a 21-year-old Australian, all from Melbourne's western suburbs.

All four men have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of drugs.

AFP Superintendent Matt Warren said the arrests had shut down a sophisticated drug syndicate.

"We will allege this group of men attempted to use scatter methods to import drugs into Victoria," he said.

"These arrests are particularly significant given we have managed to charge the alleged organiser of this syndicate, which will stop countless more attempts to import this horrendous drug."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-18/four-men-arrested-in-afp-drug-raids-melbourne/7179420

 

[poledriver]

Media Release: Melbourne drug ring dismantled

This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force.

Four men have been arrested and close to 15 kilograms of methamphetamine seized during a three-month investigation to destroy a drug syndicate operating in Melbourne.

Operation Conure began on November 24, 2015 when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers intercepted a consignment destined for Broadmeadows, Victoria. The shipment contained ceramic horse statues, allegedly filled with 10.9 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for further investigation. On December 1, 2015 a controlled delivery was conducted and three persons of interest were identified by police.

After further enquiries, AFP officers identified a fourth person of interest, a 30-year-old Sierra Leone man – who is alleged to be the organiser of the importation in the horse statues.

Police also uncovered alleged links between this person and a 2.4 kilogram methamphetamine importation in November 2015.

It will be alleged that these four men were operating a drug syndicate and can be linked to other methamphetamine seizures in the Melbourne area, including a further 1.5 kilogram methamphetamine seizure last year.

Acting on this information, the AFP conducted four search warrants yesterday (17 February 2016) across Melbourne.

The 30-year-old Sierra Leone man was arrested in Truganina; a 28-year-old Liberian man was arrested in Wyndham North; a 26-year-old Liberian man was arrested in St Albans and a 21-year-old Australian national was arrested in Sunshine.

All four men have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to subsection 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and attempting to possess an unlawfully imported substance contrary to subsection 11.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).

The 30-year-old man appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday; while the other three men are scheduled to appear before the same court today.

AFP Superintendent Matt Warren, Coordinator of Crime Operations Victoria, said today’s arrests have effectively shut down a sophisticated drug ring.

“We will allege this group of men attempted to use scatter methods to import drugs into Victoria,” Superintendent Warren said.
“These arrests are particularly significant given we have managed to charge the alleged organiser of this drug syndicate, which will stop countless more attempts to import this horrendous drug.”

ABF Superintendent Michael Lewis, Maritime Operations, said the amount of harm these drugs could have caused the community cannot be understated.

“This operation is another example of the excellent work our officers undertake every day. We are very pleased with the results of the operation and are confident our efforts have significantly reduced the amount of drugs being supplied here in Melbourne,” Superintendent Lewis said.

The maximum penalty for commonwealth importation offences is life imprisonment.

Note: Footage is available on request from the AFP National Media team.

http://www.afp.gov.au/media-centre/.../media-release-melbourne-drug-ring-dismantled

 

[poledriver]

'Ice', guns, Tasers seized in Gladstone, Tannum Sands drug bust in central Queensland

Police have arrested the alleged head of a central Queensland drug syndicate after an eight-month investigation.

Officers raided several properties around Gladstone and Tannum Sands this week as part of their investigation, which has resulted in 38 people arrested on more than 100 charges.

During the raids, police recovered 12 firearms, four Tasers, 430 grams of 'ice' worth about $100,000, seized $96,000 in cash and found property suspected of being stolen, including building equipment, machinery, jewellery and electrical equipment.

"To date we have arrested 38 persons on 117 charges," Detective Inspector Lance Vercoe said.

"The primary target has been remanded in custody on charges of trafficking in 'ice', supplying dangerous drugs, suppling drugs to a minor and using a carriage service device to procure a minor.

"We expect further weapons-related charges to be laid prior to his next court appearance."

A 29-year-old Tannum Sands man is due to appear in the Gladstone Magistrates Court today.

Others arrested are due to face court on March 15.

Police said more properties were likely to be searched today.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/'ice'-guns-tasers-seized-in-central-qld-drug-bust/7199512

 

[poledriver]

Sydney drug syndicate dealt ice to up 120 people a day, NSW Police say

A drug syndicate suspected of supplying ice to up to 120 people a day has been uncovered in Sydney, police say.

Key points:

Man, 22, arrested and charged with seven drug-related offences
Drugs, a handgun, ammunition seized during raids on houses in western Sydney
Officers searched five properties and said they expected to make further arrests
Officers searched five properties and arrested a man yesterday, and said they expected to make further arrests.

Drugs, a handgun and ammunition were seized during the searches in the western Sydney suburbs of Guilford, Yennora and Fairfield East, and the eastern suburb of Maroubra, police said.

A 22-year-old man, arrested at Maroubra, was charged with a seven offences.

They include supplying prohibited drugs, directing the activities of a criminal group and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Police said they would allege the man "was part of a criminal syndicate involved in the large-scale distribution of the drug ice, supplying up to 120 people per day".

The searches and arrest were the result of an investigation into the supply of ice in Sydney's west.

The Wetherill Park Region Enforcement Squad formed Strike Force Archdall to investigate ice dealing in the Fairfield East and Guildford areas in July last year.

"Strike Force Archdall is ongoing, and police anticipate making further arrests," a NSW Police statement said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-...t-ice-120-people-a-day-nsw-police-say/7194580

 

[poledriver]

NT: Father of four bought $68k in meth to share with wife, court told

A father-of-four who admitted to purchasing over $68,000 worth of crystal meth over the internet and having it posted to his home in Alice Springs, concealed inside a kid’s toy robot, has avoided jail time.

The 42-year-old man appeared before Alice Springs Supreme Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a dangerous drug.

The court heard that, on June 5 last year, the self-employed tradesman was pulled over by police after collecting a Toll Express parcel that had been sent to him from Queensland.

During a search of the man’s vehicle, officers opened the parcel and found 56.2 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a children’s plastic toy robot.

An additional $6000 in cash was also found inside a black bum bag. A further two parcels sent from the same Queensland address were also found during a subsequent raid on the man’s house.

The father-of-four told the court he purchased the methamphetamine for him to share with his partner, a claim that Justice Mildren accepted.

“I accept that methamphetamine was for your personal use and that you did not supply anybody else apart from sharing it with your current partner,” Justice Mildren said.

Before handing down his sentence, Justice Mildren noted, had the meth been sold on the streets of Alice Springs at the current street value of $1200 a gram, the 42-year-old would have had the potential to gain $68,640.

Justice Mildren went on to praise the father for cooperating with police and for completing a drug rehabilitation program, before sentencing him to 18 months jail, wholly suspended.

http://www.mygc.com.au/67000-of-meth-found-in-kids-toy/

 

[CfZrx]

I cant figure out how you would load or even use this pipe! Anybody know? Oh, and *Wagga Wagga*?? Lol

A man has been charged with drug supply after a vehicle stop in Wagga Wagga.

About 9am today (Thursday 4 February 2016), police stopped a Holden Commodore which was travelling on Ashmont Avenue, Wagga Wagga.

The driver, a 35-year-old man, was subjected to a random drug test which returned a positive reading.

Officer subsequently searched the vehicle, allegedly locating an amount of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested and taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station where he was charged with supply prohibited drug.

He was refused bail to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court tomorrow (Friday 5 February 2016).

 

[poledriver]

You put the crystal in the hole and it sits on the glass then they heat up under it with a lighter and suck in the vapour from the thin end down near the scales.

 

[CfZrx]

Yes the pics u posted i can see are normal meth pipes, but the Sweet Puff looks odd.

 

[poledriver]

Some 268,000 Aussies regularly use ice: report

More than half of the estimated 268,000 regular users of ice are dependent on the drug, says the first research quantifying the problem in Australia.

The estimates suggest the numbers have substantially risen during the past five years, while recent increases were most marked among those aged 15-34.

Overall the highest rates of methamphetamine use have consistently been among 25 to 35-year-olds.

"There is a need for both more health services and better engagement with and retention of clients in treatment services," say the authors of the research published online by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Using sources including drug treatment and hospitalisation data, they estimated the number of regular and dependent ice users for each year from 2002 to 2014 and the numbers by age group.

Regular users had the drug at least once a month in the last year, while those with "impaired control" of their use and who continued despite health and other adverse consequences were deemed to be dependent.

They estimated that in 2013-14 there were 268,000 regular users, aged between 15 and 54, with 160,000 of them being dependent.

"This equates to population rates of 2.09 per cent for regular and 1.24 per cent for dependent use," said lead researcher Professor Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

The rate of dependent use had continued to increase since 2009-10, when the rate was estimated to be .74 per cent, and was higher than the previous peak of 1.22 per cent in 2006-07.


Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/health/2016...aussies-regularly-use-ice#JOXBTLjWlT57We9j.99

 

[poledriver]

Australia's deadly ICE age: New research reveals methamphetamine use has tripled in just five years

More than half of the estimated 268,000 users of 'ice' are drug dependent
25-35 year olds have the highest rates of methamphetamine use
Regular users had the drug at least once a month in the last year
The rate of dependent use had continued to increase since 2009-2010

Australia's disastrous methamphetamine epidemic seems to be worsening after research revealed the drug's user statistics tripled in the last five years.
More than half of the estimated 268,000 regular users of ice are dependent on the drug, says the first research quantifying the problem in Australia.
The estimates suggest the numbers have substantially risen during the past five years, while recent increases were most marked among those aged 15-34.

Overall the highest rates of methamphetamine use have consistently been among 25 to 35-year-olds.
'There is a need for both more health services and better engagement with and retention of clients in treatment services,' say the authors of the research published online by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Using sources including drug treatment and hospitalisation data, they estimated the number of regular and dependent ice users for each year from 2002 to 2014 and the numbers by age group.
Regular users had the drug at least once a month in the last year, while those with 'impaired control' of their use and who continued despite health and other adverse consequences were deemed to be dependent.

They estimated that in 2013-14 there were 268,000 regular users, aged between 15 and 54, with 160,000 of them being dependent.
'This equates to population rates of 2.09 per cent for regular and 1.24 per cent for dependent use,' said lead researcher Professor Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
The rate of dependent use had continued to increase since 2009-10, when the rate was estimated to be .74 per cent, and was higher than the previous peak of 1.22 per cent in 2006-07.

HOW ICE DESTROYS THE BRAIN

Ice is a stimulant, a methamphetamine that speeds up the messages between the brain and the body.
It usually looks like small chunky clear crystals, hence the name ice. It can also come as white or brownish powder.
It is usually smoked or injected, with effects felt in seconds. The effects are slower when swallowed or snorted and can last about 6 hours.
Ice causes dopamine levels in the brain to shoot from 100 to around 1,250 units, about 12 times as much of a release of dopamine as you get from food and sex
When the drug wears off, users experience a debilitating depression and urge to get more of the drug.
Persistent use can change brain chemistry, destroying the brain's pleasure centers
Long term use can cause severe impairment in memory, judgment and motor coordination
Changes in brain chemistry can lead to violent behaviour, anxiety and wakefulness
it also causes psychotic behaviour, such as paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. Many users report feeling insects crawling beneath their skin.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hamphetamine-use-tripled-just-five-years.html

 

[Jabberwocky]

Ice addiction triples in five years: UNSW drug study

THE NUMBER of Australians using the drug ice at least once a month has tripled to 270,000 in the last five years.

The first research to track the growing rate of addiction to the dangerous drug has found nearly 60,000 of the regular users are aged 15-24.

And it shows in 2012-13, there were 1131 15-25 year olds hospitalised for amphetamine use and 22,000 used drug treatment programs to cope with amphetamine addiction.

The findings suggest it’s new users of methamphetamines who are becoming quickly addicted to the drug which causes psychosis, hallucinations, aggression, paranoia, delusions and impaired memory.

ICE NATION: Inside Australia’s drug epidemic

UNSW researcher Dr Sara Larney used hospital admission data and figures from drug and alcohol treatment programs to estimate the number of methamphetamine addicts.

Unlike government data which measures anyone who used methamphetamines once in a year, this new work focuses on the number of regular users, people who use the drug at least once a month, Dr Larney says.

“The household survey underestimates the regular users because it’s a household survey of the whole population and people under-report,” she said.

The research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found the number of regular methamphetamine users jumped from 90,000 in 2009-10 to 268,000 in 2013-14.

The number of 15-24 year olds dependent on the drug more than doubled form 0.4 per cent in 2009-10 to 1.14 per cent in 2013-14.

Professor Louisa Degenhardt, from UNSW’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, said dependency on the drug was now higher than the previous peak in use in 2006-07.

“Our estimates suggest that there have been substantial increases over the past five years in the numbers of regular and dependent methamphetamine users in Australia,” the study says.

“The increased number of problem methamphetamine users indicates a need to expand services to redress the health problems associated with regular methamphetamine use,” the authors conclude.

News Corp has previously highlighted how Australian families are forced to go overseas to find drug treatment programs for addicted children because there are long waiting lists for local programs.

The government’s National Drug Strategy Household drug survey 2013 found about 1.3 million people (seven per cent) had used methamphetamines in their lifetime and 400,000 (2.1 per cent) had done so in the last 12 months.

This survey found use of the drug in its powder form decreased from 51 per cent to 29 per cent in recent times while the use of the crystal form — ice — more than doubled, from 22 per cent in 2010 to 50 per cent in 2013.

Those who used the drug in the form of ice were more likely to use it on a regular basis with one in four using it weekly, compared with only two per cent of those using the powder form.

The UNSW study says patterns of drug use often show a rapid uptake among new users who initially report extremely rewarding effects that they advertise to their peers, thereby recruiting further new users. There is often a swift development of problem use among heavy users, whose doses escalate as tolerance develops; these problems typically include psychosis and dependence, and arrests for drug possession and supply. The emergence of these problems produces a rapid decline in new recruits as the high visibility of these harms becomes apparent to non-using peers. Fifteen recent surveys suggest that this phenomenon has occurred in Australia.

The Global Drug Survey suggests that methamphetamine may have acquired a negative reputation among older drug users.

Methamphetamine use has become increasingly stigmatised, with fewer people admitting to having used the drug, suggesting that these surveys underestimate an increasingly stigmatised form of substance use.


Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/li...y/news-story/fd9a6d6a42ffbc4a05ae09e50ebbd7d7

 

[poledriver]

'It's almost like a trick at first': Young Australians lead a surge in serious ice use

Regular users of the drug ice have more than doubled in four years, placing acute pressure on treatment services across the country.

More than one in 100 people are addicted to the drug and one in 50 are regular monthly users, according to the first quantification of the nation's serious ice user population.

Yet frontline workers say federal funding from the National Ice Taskforce is enough to cover "about a quarter of a staff member" for each treatment service.

Using data from hospitals and treatment services, a group of researchers led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, estimated 268,000 people aged 15-54, or 2.09 per cent of the population, use ice at least monthly.

Alarmingly, the highest rate of use and the steepest increase has been among young people, the study, to be published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, found.

The number of 15-24 year old's addicted to ice has tripled in four years to 1.14 per cent of the population.

Jack Nagle, pictured during one of his binges, first took ice socially at parties.

Jack Nagle, pictured during one of his binges, first took ice socially at parties. Photo: Supplied

"The increased number of problem methamphetamine users indicates a need to expand services to redress the health problems associated with regular use," the authors concluded.

Jack Nagle, who was addicted to ice for a year, said the horror news stories and ad campaigns don't affect curious young people.

"It's almost like a trick at first, you see all this terrible stuff that happens to people on the news but when you first take it, it's fantastic, it's actually quite fun" said the 25-year-old.

Jack Nagle said he called on his mother for help after a one-week binge that left him in a psychosis.

Jack Nagle said he called on his mother for help after a one-week binge that left him in a psychosis. Photo: Supplied

"You don't initially have those catastrophic consequences and it's a really social drug but it turns on its heels very quickly. By the time it does, it's hard to get out."

Mr Nagle was 19 and into basketball, partying and drinking when he first tried it with a friend in a car outside a Melbourne pub. It was much cheaper than speed and gave him a bigger high.

Social use at parties – along with cannabis, alcohol and speed – then spiralled to the point where he committed petty crime to fund a week-long binge that cost $7500 and left him in a psychosis.

After hitting rock bottom, he knocked on his mother's door for help. He had a year of residential treatment and now works for a Melbourne rehab service, Refocus.

"I guess I wanted help for a long time but I wasn't sure how to ask for it," he said. "I was lucky I got put into treatment straight away."

Ted Noffs Foundation chief executive Matt Noffs, who runs the only service in Australia that caters to ice addicts as young as 13, said options for young people were woefully inadequate.

He said the government's $250 million for treatment will be split among 30 regions, allowing enough to fund less than a quarter of a staff member if money was distributed equally to every service.

"If we're not treating this earlier, then you create a generation who are dependent for life," he said.

"The money isn't enough, it's late in the piece, knowing where we are with ice, and youth support should be the priority."

In its report in December, the taskforce found the price of ice has stayed low, while purity and availability has increased.

Led by former Victorian police commissioner Ken Lay, the taskforce acknowledged the largest gains to be made in solving the ice epidemic will come from prevention and early intervention.

​A spokesman for NSW Assistant Health Minister, Pru Goward, said the government had partnered with NGOs to fund new treatment services across the state, including Dubbo, Wollongong, Mt Druitt, Lismore, Newcastle and St Vincent's Hospital.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/its-...us-ice-use-20160228-gn5ru2.html#ixzz41Vnisrdb

 

[poledriver]

NSW Police Force

1 hr ·

Four people are before the courts as a result of a police investigation into an alleged criminal syndicate supplying “ice” in Sydney’s south-west.

In July 2015, the Wetherill Park Region Enforcement Squad formed Strike Force Archdall to investigate the supply of methylamphetamine (“ice”) in the Fairfield East and Guildford areas.

As a result of these inquiries, police executed search warrants at five premises in Guildford, Yennora, Fairfield East and Maroubra last Tuesday (23 February 2016).

A 22-year-old Maroubra man is already before the courts following his arrest on that day.

Further inquiries by Strike Force Archdall detectives resulted in the arrest of three more men, specifically:

- On Thursday (25 February 2016), a 20-year-old man was arrested in the Guildford area. He was charged with supply prohibited drug; supply prohibited drug (commercial quantity); and knowingly participate in criminal group. The man appeared in Bankstown Local Court on the day of his arrest, and was granted conditional bail to face Burwood Local Court on 21 April 2016.

- On Friday (26 February 2016), a 30-year-old man was arrested during a vehicle stop, also in the Guildford area. He was charged with take part in supplying prohibited drugs (commercial quantity); supply prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis; knowingly direct activities of a criminal group; knowingly participate in a criminal group and organise drug premises. The man remains in custody, and is next due to appear at Burwood Local Court on the 30 March 2016.

- Earlier today (Monday 29 February 2016), a 31-year-old man presented at Bankstown Police Station, where he was arrested and charged with supply prohibited drug commercial quantity; knowingly direct the activities of a criminal group; knowingly participate in a criminal group; and recruit other to assist in carrying out criminal activity (two counts). He was refused bail and will appear at Bankstown Local Court later this afternoon.

Police allege the men were part of a criminal syndicate involved in the large-scale distribution of the drug “ice”, supplying up to 120 people per day.

Strike Force Archdall is ongoing, and police anticipate making further arrests.

 

[poledriver]

Brutal bashing caught on camera after string of alleged attacks across Sydney's south-west

WARNING, GRAPHIC: Disturbing CCTV footage has surfaced of a man, reportedly high on ice, bashing another man during a violent and thuggish string of assaults in Sydney's south-west.

36-year-old Ricky Hema claims he was in the grip of the drug ‘ice’ when police allege he violently attacked at least four people within the space of two hours.

Hema can be seen allegedly punching, kicking and jumping repeatedly on his victim's unresponsive body. Photo: CCTV

He says he can’t remember the attacks.

Hema’s lawyer Ahmed Dib said his family were apologetic for their son’s actions.

“I spoke to Ricky Hema's family earlier today and they just wanted to extend all their prayers and thoughts to any of the parties involved,” he told 7 News.

The security video shows the suspect approaching an unsuspecting victim from behind and hitting him with a punch that knocks him to the ground in the carpark of a unit complex in Campsie.

Several kicks to the face follow, but seemingly unsatisfied with the violent assault, the attacker appears to jump on his victim's unresponsive body.

The 27-year-old victim, Oliver Ross, was taken to St George Hospital suffering head injuries.

Hema’s crime spree reportedly began at 1:30pm on January 24 when he allegedly attacked 74-year-old Youssef El-Boustani at the Mirage pub in Punchbowl.

Mr El-Boustani spent more than a week in hospital.

Next he headed to the Royal Sheaf Hotel at Burwood, where police said he attacked two more men and was ordered to leave the venue.

He ended his violent rampage in the Campsie car park, knocking Mr Ross out cold.

All of the attacks occurred while Hema was still on bail for another serious attack.

He is now being held in custody after his bail was revoked following his latest attacks.

He could face up to 25 years in jail if he is convicted of the assault charges.

Howard Brown from the Victims of Crime Assistance League told 7 News Hema never should have never been let out on bail in the first place.

“It's not as if his previous offences didn't involve violence. The majority of them did involve violence. He should never have been granted bail in the first place, then we wouldn't have new victims. That's my real concern.”

Victims of crime are calling for a review of police bail procedures.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/3096438...ged-attacks-across-sydneys-south-west/?cmp=fb

 

[poledriver]

Victorian police officer charged with stealing thousands of dollars, trafficking meth

A Victorian policeman has been accused of stealing money from people in return for allowing them to go free, and of trafficking methamphetamine.

Nicholas John Powell, who was stationed at Fitzroy police station, has been charged with theft, drug-trafficking, dealing with the proceeds of crime and misconduct in public office.

A second member from the police region, Brendan Nolan, has been charged with the same offences. Both men have been suspended without pay.

Court documents show that in May 2012, Powell allegedly took $3,000 from a man at Fitzroy police station in exchange for the man's freedom.

He has also been charged with handling the proceeds of crime, on the basis that the cash was suspected to be the proceeds of crime.

The documents show that a month later, in June, Powell allegedly stole methamphetamine from Fitzroy police station, swapping it for a cutting agent he seized from a criminal.

Powell then allegedly arranged for the methamphetamine to be sold.

It is also alleged that in July that year, Powell stole $2,300 worth of Crown Casino chips from a woman at Fitzroy police station.

The two officers were arrested following an investigation by Taskforce Keel, which was set up by police command to probe the leak of thousands of police documents to people, including some with links to bikie gangs.

Taskforce Keel has focused on Fitzroy police station.

A number of police officers from the station having been suspended or charged with various offences.

Another officer formerly stationed at Fitzroy, David Branov, was sentenced to more than four years in prison in December after pleading guilty to theft, drug and misconduct charges.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-24/police-allegedly-demand-money-to-let-people-go-free/6250412

 

[poledriver]

Australian Federal Police

14 hrs ·

We followed a money trail, leading us to arrest two men and the seizure of cash and drugs - $710,000 and 60kg of meth to be exact.

The two men were arrested in Sydney yesterday and charged with proceeds of crime and drug offences.

By identifying and pursuing leads associated with money laundering we’re able to track those allegedly involved in criminal activity, predominantly illicit drug trafficking, but also financing of other criminal enterprises.

More info: http://goo.gl/TX7gys

‪#‎AusFedPolice‬ ‪#‎drugs‬ ‪#‎moneymoneymoney‬

 

[poledriver]

Harriet Wran wrote letters to ex-boyfriend regretting ice addiction

Harriet Wran penned a heartfelt letter to her former boyfriend after her arrest for murder, expressing her wish the drug ice never existed and her fears over a lengthy jail term.

In letters written in October 2014 which have just surfaced, Wran wrote to Dennan Chew apologising for showing him "the side of her that drug addiction brings out" when they were together, The Daily Telegraph reports.

"I wish I lived in any time period other than this one, where ice would never have come into my life," she wrote.

Wran, 27, met Mr Chew, a personal trainer in Sydney's east, at a rehab clinic in Bronte in 2013.

They separated sometime after, for reasons Mr Chew has not revealed.

"I was horribly bossy and rude ... You were going through a tough time it seemed and I was more concerned with being ruthlessly disconnected," she wrote.

In the letters, written three months into her jail rehab stint, Wran also complained about "getting fat" in jail but being "super excited" about the prospect of studying ancient history by correspondence while behind bars.

"I’ve been clean since I got here, so nearly three months,' she wrote. "It seems I finally received the wake-up call I needed to stop for good.

"I just hope it’s not a 20-year life lesson."

Wran, the daughter of former NSW Labor premier Neville Wran, reportedly developed an ice addiction in her early 20s, as well as battling anorexia.

Her addiction lead to her becoming homeless, before being charged in August 2014 for murdering drug dealer Daniel McNulty in Redfern.

Wran is alleged to have shown up at Mr McNulty's unit with two other men, Lloyd Haines and Michael Lee, her boyfriend of two weeks, and stabbed him over a botched $70 ice deal.

Mr McNulty's flatmate Brett Fitzgerald was hit with a hammer when he came to his aid, police allege.

She pleaded not guilty to murder in November last year.

In the letter Wran said it was "too dangerous" to discuss the case but said "you know me I could never hurt anyone".

"It was my mistake of being in the company of such low-life (people) that landed me here," she wrote.

"I can’t believe I’m in here charged with murder, quite a price to pay for total stupidity.

"What happened that night was really awful and I will be haunted by it for the rest of my life."

Her trial is slated to start June 20 this year.

As well as facing a murder charge, Wran was recently a party in a family civil court fight over the $40 million estate of her father, who died in 2014 aged 87.


Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...-regretting-ice-addiction#yUxdb0OdIPIigKvC.99

 

[poledriver]

Police rearrest methamphetamine accused after WA's biggest seizure

Two men accused of dealing $320 million worth of ice - the biggest seizure of the drug in Western Australia - have been rearrested after a magistrate dismissed the original charges against them over a technicality.

Hong Kong nationals Pak Cheong Cheung and Yik To Ng were charged last September with possessing methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply and possessing unlawfully obtained property, after 320 kilograms of the drug was found at a house in Canning Vale and at residences in the city.

Most of the drugs were hidden inside packages of tea and $1.2 million in cash was also seized.

At the time police said the bust was the biggest seizure of ice ever made in WA.

The two accused men appeared in court via video link from Hakea prison on Friday.

However, defence lawyer Patti Chong told the court police had provided her only with electronic copies of the evidence against her client, and she had not yet received a hard copy.

Magistrate Paul Heaney then dismissed the charges "for want of prosecution".

In a statement Friday afternoon, acting commander of state crime Michelle Fyfe said the two men had since been "re-arrested and charged with the same offences".

"WA Police fulfilled all its disclosure obligations to defence counsel and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions prior to this morning's court sitting," she said.

The DPP's office denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement it had "met all disclosure obligations".

The two men, who are still in custody, are due to appear in court on Saturday on the new charges.

Meanwhile, two other Hong Kong men who admitted playing a minor role in the drug operation, will be sentenced in the District Court later this year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-...amine-accused-after-magistrate-dismis/7241516