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The Australian/NZ Drug Busts Mega-Thread Part Deux

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lil angel15

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hoptis said:
This is a thread to post news articles related to police seizures of illicit drugs, their precursors, manufacturing equipment and paraphernalia in Australia/New Zealand. This also includes any articles relating to the court outcomes or sentencing for a bust and crimes relating to prescription drugs. For extremely large busts, especially any that break existing Australian records for a drug, a new thread should be started.

NO SOCIAL CHATTER

This includes posts:
  • Bemoaning a seizure of drugs
  • Contemplating whether a seizure will affect availability of a drug in a particular area
  • Guessing at how long before police put the drugs back on the street

Posts of this type will be removed.

When posting articles please quote the full text of the article and a link to the source, also please check that it hasn't already been posted.

Cheers :)

This thread is brought to you after the ongoing success of the original Drug Busts thread. I am happy to bring you the second part of this fantastic soap opera, where we can see our friends, and associates, mentioned in the media.
 
Developer linked to drugs and bikie gangs

A DEVELOPER who made $375,000 in nine days by buying, then selling, an elderly woman's waterfront home is a convicted money launderer with past links to drug syndicates, bikie gangs and the criminal underworld.

As revealed in The Sun-Herald last week, Keith Albert Sweeney bought the Patonga cottage of dementia sufferer Daphne Dick, 83, late last year after she was admitted to a nursing home.

Sweeney, 58, paid $825,000 for the property then resold it nine days later for $1.2million.

He did not part with any money because, in a simultaneous settlement, he used the second sale to finance the first.

Local real-estate agents described the $825,000 sale price as "undervalued". Concerned friends and neighbours still do not know why the house was never advertised.

It now emerges that Sweeney is a registered NSW real-estate agent, but the licence is now in doubt because he is the former head of a Queensland real-estate agency that was a front for a major drug supply and money laundering racket.

In June 1999, Justice John Helman labelled him a "cunning criminal" after he used his Sun Gold Realty business at Noosa Heads, on the Sunshine Coast, to facilitate a "double life" of crime.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard that, between 1994 and 1995, Sweeney's office received 250 kilograms of diphenhydramine, a "cheap" veterinary medicine used as an "extender" in speed.

The court was told its effects were "not dissimilar to amphetamines", enabling manufacturers to increase drug volume and profit.

Sweeney's diphenhydramine arrived at his office in five separate shipments after he posed as "Ken Swanson" of fictitious chemical company, Parnell Chemicals, to obtain it.

Unbeknown to Sweeney and his accomplice, Ricky Gordon Powell, authorities were alerted to the scam after they'd ordered twice Australia's annual intake of the drug.

An undercover police investigation codenamed Operation ZigZag intercepted a shipment and "spiked" it with a tracer substance, which later resurfaced in amphetamines seized in Western Australia.

Bank records tendered to court showed Sweeney used personal and company bank accounts to launder $265,500 in cash from "unknown sources". He spent some of the money on a brand new BMW car and a Harley Davidson motorbike.

Police surveillance footage showed Sweeney and Powell mixing with Nomad bikie gang members in Sydney, one of whom later made a distressed phone call to Powell, expressing fear for his life after a drug deal went wrong. Sweeney was later extradited from New Zealand and pleaded guilty to money laundering. He was sentenced to 2 years' jail. Powell, 42, was jailed for two years to be suspended after a year.

Justice Helman dubbed Sweeney a "resourceful and greedy accomplice".

He said: "To outwards appearances you were a respected businessman but you were also secretly a cunning criminal. It's people like you who make it possible for the illegal drug trade to flourish."

The NSW Office of Fair Trading said: "We are concerned about the allegations presented to us regarding this agent and are investigating them."

The Sun-Herald has been inundated with letters about Mrs Dick, including from abroad.

Gareth Crwys-Williams, from Cheltenham, England, wrote: "When I visited relatives in Patonga over the years, I always chatted to Daphne. One cannot help but notice she has been Patonga's bedrock.

"She cared for everyone young and old in this wonderful village, from collecting cans to raising money for charity to looking after everyone's children at a second's notice."

Mr Sweeney did not respond to phone calls, but last Tuesday night - after the publication of the story - he told Channel Seven's Today Tonight he was "elated" at his "good fortune" which was like "winning the lottery".

Source article : SMH.com.au
 
Passenger charged over alleged in-flight drug use
Georgina Robinson | February 24, 2008 - 2:35PM

A 28-year-old man will appear in court tomorrow after he was allegedly found using drugs on a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Brisbane.

The man was arrested in Brisbane just before 10am on Saturday and escorted off the plane by Australian Federal Police officers.

A Jetstar spokesperson confirmed he was spotted using a narcotic on the plane.

An AFP spokesperson said the man was charged with possession of a dangerous drug and would appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

Brisbane Times

Let this be a warning to all of you who party and travel domestically...
 
Now the thing that gets me is I flew with Jet Star last year and they have the yellow needle disposal bins in the toilets on their planes.

I wonder what drug he was using anyway?
 
Police seize ecstasy haul
Matthew Burgess
February 26, 2008 - 2:56PM

More than 100,000 ecstasy tablets - including a batch believed to be bound for Victoria - have been seized in Sydney as part of a joint operation involving police officers from both states.

The operation was sparked by information gathered by Victoria's Purana Taskforce and aimed to target an alleged interstate drug trafficking and manufacture network.

NSW detectives seized more than 100,000 ecstasy tablets, weighing 31 kilograms, from a house in Denistone East, in Sydney's northern suburbs, on Sunday.

A 57-year-old man from Frankston, in Melbourne's south, was arrested at the scene, while a 35-year-old man from Sydney was arrested as he attended the Denistone East property.

Detectives later seized a number of items after executing a search warrant at the 35-year-old's Macquarie Street unit.

Both men have been charged with one count of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and possessing a prohibited drug. They appeared in the Burwood Local Court yesterday, where they were refused bail, and will re-appear in court on April 21.

Police in Victoria have also executed five search warrants across Melbourne's northern suburbs since Saturday as part of the larger operation, also involving the Victoria Police clandestine laboratory squad, and seized a small amount of drugs, believed to be ice, and a pistol.

A 43-year-old Templestowe man was arrested on Sunday night, but has been released without charge.

NSW drug squad detectives have also raided a storage facility in Ultimo and a house in Granville.

The head of the Purana Taskforce, Detective Inspector Gavan Ryan, said the arrests and seizures were the culmination of eight months of hard work.

He said police were believed part of the haul was allegedly destined for Victoria and it showed that Purana's investigations reached across state borders.

"The work of the Victorian Clandestine Laboratory Squad and the NSW Police Force has been terrific," Detective Inspector Ryan said.

The joint investigation is continuing.

The Age
 
stealthtrucker said:
Now the thing that gets me is I flew with Jet Star last year and they have the yellow needle disposal bins in the toilets on their planes.

Diabetics also use them
 
NSW drug suspects 'linked to Melbourne underworld

New South Wales Police say two men they have charged for allegedly manufacturing drugs have links to underworld criminals in Melbourne.

Purana Taskforce, the Victorian team that investigates gangland crime in Melbourne, alerted New South Wales police to a drug ring.

On Sunday evening, the drug squad raided a house at Denistone East, in north-west Sydney, where they found a pill press and 100,000 ecstasy pills believed to be destined for Victoria.

Police say the 31 kilograms of pills, which were found in a suitcase, have an estimated street value of at least $3 million.

They arrested a 57-year-old Melbourne man and a 35-year-old Sydney man at the scene.

The pair has been refused bail and will appear in court in April.

Police say they also searched a storage facility in Ultimo overnight as part of the investigation and found a sawn-off shotgun and mobile phones.

They say another raid on a house in Granville last night netted thre pill presses and related equipment.

Police also searched five homes in north Melbourne, discovering a handgun and a small amount of what is believed to be 'ice'.

abc.net.au
 
Kryal Castle rave drug dealer jailed
Kate Uebergang
February 28, 2008 12:00am

A DRUG dealer caught selling ecstasy on what he said was his "last big night out" has been jailed for six months.

Justin Stark, 21, was arrested with 48 ecstasy pills and more than $800 at a Kryal Castle rave party on December 8 last year, a court heard yesterday.

Stark, of Eumemmering, was apprehended after a police sniffer dog detected the drugs.

Police also found cannabis in a backpack owned by Stark, Ballarat Magistrates' Court was told.

Magistrate Peter Reardon said Stark, who was arrested while on bail awaiting an appeal hearing over earlier drug charges, had gone to Kryal Castle with the intent to sell drugs.

"You were facing a term of imprisonment and chose to deal drugs," Mr Reardon said. "People who deal in drugs deserve condign punishment."

Lawyer Kylie Moloney told the court Stark's actions were "extraordinarily immature".

"This was his last big night out before he cleaned up his act and got himself together," she said.

"My client realises now exactly what he was risking." She urged the magistrate to consider a non-custodial sentence.

The court heard Stark was arrested just three months after pleading guilty to an earlier charge of trafficking cannabis.

Stark received a five-month jail sentence at Dandenong Magistrates' Court last September.

He appealed and was bailed. In the County Court on February 6 he was given a two-year community based order, the court heard.

Yesterday Stark pleaded guilty to five charges, including trafficking, possessing and using ecstasy, possessing cannabis and possessing proceeds of crime.

Sen-Constable Damon Saunders said a number of Kryal Castle party-goers were taken to hospital for overdosing on the evening Stark was arrested.

He urged the magistrate to impose an immediate jail term.

Mr Reardon convicted Stark and sentenced him to six months' prison and fined him $200.

Mr Reardon said while Stark was a young offender who had pleaded guilty, his punishment needed to reflect general and specific deterrence.

Herald Sun
 
Alleged heroin smuggler nabbed
AAP
February 29, 2008 02:13pm

A 40-YEAR-OLD Malaysian woman has been caught allegedly trying to smuggle four kilograms of heroin into the country in a suitcase through Melbourne airport.

Customs officers intercepted the woman yesterday after she arrived on a flight from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the drugs, which have a potential street value of $1.2 million, were allegedly detected by abnormalities in the woman's luggage under x-ray.

The white powder allegedly found gave an initial reading for heroin, police said.

It will now undergo forensic testing to determine its purity and exact weight.

The woman has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and $825,000 fine.

The woman was expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

Herald Sun
 
Massive $77 million drug haul at Jandakot

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WA police have seized a massive methylamphetamine and ecstasy haul worth nearly $80 million after searching a plane which flew from New South Wales into Perth's Jandakot Airport.

The 22.5kg haul of methylamphetamine is the largest ever seizure of the drug by WA police.

The drugs were hidden in a storage compartment on aboard a twin engine Piper Aztec which flew into Jandakot Airport yesterday afternoon.

Police have arrested and charged the pilot and passenger with serious drug-related offences.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Coombes, of the police specialist crime unit, said the seizure would have a significant impact on the availability of the drugs in Perth.

He refused to say if police suspected the two charged men were working alone or were part of an organised crime network but he said the investigation was ongoing.

"This is a significant seizure,'' he said.

"We are very happy with this and the impact it will have on the illicit drug market.''

Organised Crime Squad and State Security Investigation Group officers the plane with two people on board which left from New South Wales on Tuesday and arrived at Jandakot around 5pm yesterday.

Detectives searched the twin engine aircraft and found a bag allegedly containing 22kg of methylamphetamine and 8.85kg of ecstasy (approximately 35,000 tablets).

The NSW pilot of the plane and his 24-year-old passenger were both interviewed at the Organised Crime Squad offices and each was charged with possession of methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply and Possession of MDMA (ecstasy) with intent to sell or supply.

Both men were due to appear in the Perth Magistrate’s Court today.

The approximate street value of the methylamphetamine seized by police is conservatively estimated at $75 million, while the street value of the 35,000 MDMA tablets is around $1.8 million.

The 37-year-old pilot is the owner of the $130,000 plane which has been seized under Proceeds of Crime legislation.

Organised Crime Squad officers are continuing their inquires with assistance from NSW police to determine the origin and the intended Perth destination of the drugs.

Securing regional and remote airports and identifying connected security and crime issues and light aircraft movements remain a significant focus of the State Security Investigation Group,
Organised Crime Squad, Regional Police Districts and other state and federal agencies.

In the past year the Organised Crime Squad has seized in excess of 70kg of methylamphetamine and other synthetic drugs.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23329252-948,00.html


^^

it's hard to tell from the photo included in this article, but some of those containers are chock-full of chunky fat white pills (saw this on the news when i was waitin for my pizza in the shop)
looks a lot like the white hearts which are all over the place at the moment.
 
where do they make up their figures.
divide 1,800,000 by 35,000.... street value my arse

hell even divide 75,000,000 by 22,000 to work out their street estimate for how much a gram is worth.

wtf?

(im sorry to the mods if this breaches any guidelines on prices.. i just thought it was interesting to point out. if i have done, just delete this post ok)
 
Music festival drug charges
March 9, 2008 - 9:55AM

Fifty revellers have been charged with drug offences at a music festival in Sydney's east.

Police said 74 people were detected with drugs during the 10-hour Future Music Festival at Randwick Racecourse.

Ten people were charged with supplying drugs and 40 people were charged with drug possession, police said.

Eighteen people were issued with cautions for cannabis possession.

A total of 239 ecstasy pills were found during the drug dog operation and police seized cannabis, cocaine and speed.

No serious injuries were reported during the concert.

The national touring dance music festival began on March 1.

It is due to finish in Adelaide tomorrow night.

AAP

smh.com.au
 
Five in court this afternoon following illicit drug supply investigation — Asian Crime Squad
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2008 03:58pm

Four men and a woman are facing multiple drug-related offences when they appear in court this afternoon after being arrested earlier today by Asian Crime Squad detectives.

Strike Force Leonello was established in November last year to target the supply of MDMA (ecstasy) on the state’s Central Coast, as well as in Sydney.

As a result of an intensive investigation, detectives this morning arrested five people and raided six premises in Gosford, Terrigal, Wamberal, Avoca and Springfield.

During the execution of the search warrants detectives will allege they located MDMA tablets, cannabis, cocaine, a quantity of cash and steroids, as well as two shotguns and an air rifle.

All five people were questioned by Asian Crime Squad detectives at City Central, Gosford and The Entrance Police Stations.

The 34-year-old Springfield man was charged with:
· Supply Large Commercial Quantity of Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· 5 x Supply Commercial Quantity Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Supply Indictable Quantity Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Participate in Criminal Group
· Possess Unlicensed Firearm
· Not Ensure Safe Keeping of Firearm

The 26-year-old Terrigal man was charged with:
· 2 x Supply Indictable Quantity Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· 2x Possess Prohibited Drug (MDMA/Cocaine)
· Possess Anabolic Steroid
· Possess Ammunition
· Participate in Criminal Group
· Knowingly Deal in Proceeds of Crime

The 21-year-old Avoca man was charged with:
· Supply (Deemed) Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· 2 x Possess Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Knowingly Take Part in Supply Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Goods In Custody
· Disqualified Driver

All three were refused bail to appear in Gosford Local Court this afternoon.

A 48-year-old Wamberal man was refused bail and is due to appear in Central Local Court this afternoon charged with:
· Supply Large Commercial Supply Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· 2 x Supply Commercial Quantity Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Aid and Abet - Supply Large Commercial Supply Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Knowingly Deal in Proceeds of Crime
· Unlicensed Driver

The 23-year-old woman, from Matcham, was refused bail and is due to appear in Wyong Local Court this afternoon charged with:
· Supply Indictable Quantity Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Possess Prohibited Drug (MDMA)
· Participate in Criminal Group

NSW Police Media Unit
 
Police arrest 14 in drug network and seize drugs including ecstasy and firearms.
Thursday March 13, 2008 3:20pm EST

MELBOURNE, Australia - Police have today arrested 14 people following a joint operation targeting the entire pillar of a drug network, from importation to street level dealing.

A total of 17 warrants were executed from 5am today on residences in Melbourne’s north western suburbs and the Ballarat area as the result of a five month joint agency operation involving Victoria Police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Customs Service and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).

Members of the joint investigation team executed both state and commonwealth warrants and seized illicit drugs including ecstasy, amphetamines, methamphetamines and cannabis, more than 50 firearms including rifles, handguns and an assault rifle, ballistic vests and small hydroponic set-ups.

More than $6000 cash and five vehicles including a Subaru, Toyota utility, Ford panel van, Ford sedan and Toyota Hilux were seized in Ballarat under the proceeds of crime legislation while signed sporting memorabilia, an old Coca-Cola dispenser and a jukebox were seized in Wydhamvale.

Also seized in Wyndham Vale was a large amount of ammunition, canisters of pepper spray and a significant number of prohibited weapons including swords, knives and a taser gun.

The warrants were executed in residences in Wyndham Vale, West Sunshine, Preston, Kensington, Snake Valley, Ballarat, Ballarat North, Mt Helen, Sebastopol and Mt Clean.

Three men, aged 21, 23 and 30, were arrested at the Wyndham Vale residences. The 23-year-old has been charged with trafficking a drug of dependence and been bailed by police. The other two men continue to be interviewed at the St Kilda Road Crime Department for offences relating to drug importation and trafficking, firearms, possessing a prohibited weapon, and cultivating a dug of dependence.

Two men from Snake Valley and Ballarat North, both aged 33, and a 27-year-old Snake Valley man, will appear at the Ballarat Magistrates Court this afternoon in relation to the trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs. The Ballarat North man will also face a possession offence.

A 43-year-old Ballarat man has been bailed by police to appear at the Ballarat Magistrates Court in relation to trafficking a drug of dependence on 5 May.

A number of others are currently being interviewed or expected to be summonsed to court in relation to firearm and drug offences.

Two males and a female were arrested but released without charge pending further enquiries.

The operation commenced after information was received that methamphetamine was being imported from Canada.

It is alleged the drug network was importing small quantities of methamphetamine into Victoria on a regular basis which was being trafficked in the Melbourne and Ballarat communities.

Superintendent Andrew Allen from Victoria Police Region Two said the operation, which involved both the Crime Tasked Operations squad and Region Two police in Victoria, had thwarted the entrenched network.

“This joint agency operation is significant as it is aimed at the entire pillar of a criminal drug network and has disrupted a constant stream of drugs flowing into Victoria.

“It is an example of how Victoria Police is working closely with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to create a more hostile environment for organised crime,” he said.

Customs National Manager Cargo Operations South, Graham Krisohos, said that Customs had stopped more than 50 importations of methamphetamine over the past two years believed to be linked to these recent arrests.

"People shouldn't think that the postal system is a way to smuggle prohibited goods into the country and avoid Customs scrutiny."

"Customs and its partner agencies monitor the importation of more than 2.4 million letters and 400,000 parcels every week. No matter how small the importation the chance of detection and appropriate investigation action is high, as this case demonstrates," Mr Krisohos said.

AFP National Manager Border and International Network Tim Morris said the arrests showed the importance of a strong collaborative framework between agencies.

“This co-operation has helped to dismantle a sophisticated drug distribution network, and prevented the trafficking of methamphetamine in Melbourne and regional Victoria,” Assistant Commissioner Morris said.

The investigation also included valuable assistance from the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).

The investigation is ongoing.

Australia.To
 
Shotgun, drugs found in car - police
March 13, 2008

POLICE say they found a sawn-off shotgun and drugs in the car of a man they pulled over south of Perth today.

Officers stopped the driver of a Holden Commodore on Safety Bay Road, south of Perth, about 4.30am (WDT), during a routine patrol.

They searched the vehicle when he started acting suspiciously and found a sawn-off 12-gauge pump-action shotgun concealed under the carpet in the boot, said police spokesman Ian Hasleby.

LSD tablets were found inside the vehicle, he said.

A 20-year-old Perth man has been charged with possessing a firearm with circumstances of aggravation and possessing a prohibited drug.

He is due to appear in the Rockingham Magistrates Court on May 9.

The Australian
 
'Priscilla' hotel owner walks free after failed cover-up

The owner of the Broken Hill hotel made famous by the movie, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, has been given a suspended jail term for possessing drugs and ammunition.

Police in the far western New South Wales town found cannabis at Marat Celotto's home after a tip-off and cordoned it off as a crime scene.

But Celotto broke into the house through the laundry window and was seen removing bags of drugs and bullets.

Police later found the items at several nearby hotels, including his own, the Palace Hotel.

Celotto was charged with unlawfully entering a crime scene with intent to pervert the course of justice, but his 18-month sentence was suspended on the condition he enter a good-behaviour bond.

He was fined $250 for possessing ammunition.

The Palace Hotel, which was the setting for much of Priscilla, is now closed and under the control of an administrator.

ABC Online
 
Dozens charged after sweeping drug raids
March 14, 2008 08:26am

MORE than 50 people have been charged after large amounts of cannabis and a hydroponic set-up were found during police raids north of Brisbane.

Police said Operation Golf Detour began on March 12 when officers executed 40 search warrants in the Cooloola area, netting 37 people on 77 charges.

Officers searched 24 addresses yesterday morning in the South Burnett area where 15 people were charged with 29 offences.

A hydroponic set-up with more than 50 plants was allegedly found at Gympie and cannabis found at other addresses.

Forty-three men and nine women have been charged with a total of 106 drug, firearm and other charges and will appear at the Gympie, Kingaroy, Murgon and Nanango magistrates courts over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, two people were arrested after cash, amphetamines, other drugs and fireworks were found at a property south of Brisbane, police said.

Officers searched the Andrew Road address at Greenbank about 9.25am (AEST) yesterday.

Police allege cash, amphetamines, a hydroponic set-up, fireworks, drug utensils and the remains of an amphetamine laboratory were found.

A 33-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman have been charged with nine offences and are due to face Beenleigh Magistrates Court today.

News.com.au
 
Guns, drugs seized at house
March 14, 2008 06:27am

GUNS and drugs have been seized in a raid on a house in Sydney's east, police said.

Almost five kg of cannabis and smaller quantities of speed, MDMA and cocaine were allegedly seized in the search of a home in Maroubra Rd, Maroubra, at about 2.40pm (AEDT) yesterday.

Two prohibited guns, one unregistered gun and ammunition were also found, police said.

A 41-year-old Maroubra man was arrested at the house and later charged with supplying a prohibited drug, supplying cannabis, possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm, possessing an unauthorised firearm, possessing an unregistered firearm, and not keeping a firearm safe and with possessing ammunition.

He was refused bail to appear at Waverley Local Court later today.

News.com.au
 
Ecstasy smuggler jailed for 21 years
Bellinda Kontominas
March 14, 2008 - 1:00PM

An Israeli man has been sentenced to 21 years' imprisonment for importing up to $45 million worth of ecstasy into Australia.

Benjamin Rosenfeld, 47, smiled occasionally during proceedings in the Downing Centre District court, but raised his eyebrows when Judge Anthony Puckeridge handed down the sentence, which has a non-parole period of 13 years.

The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.

Rosenfeld was found guilty by a jury of importing 112 kilograms of MDMA powder, commonly known as ecstasy, after the drugs were found inside 172 tennis ball cans packed inside three hot-water systems imported from Israel.

In sentencing Rosenfeld, Judge Puckeridge said the court needed to take into account public deterrence.

"There is no evidence before the court that he has shown any contrition," he said. "In fact the offender pleaded not guilty to the offence and claimed that he had no knowledge of the existence of the canisters in the tanks and no knowledge that those canisters contained the drug ecstacy.

The court heard that Rosenfeld had bought the hot water tanks, hired a truck and transported them from an Israeli factory to a dock in Israel. It heard that Rosenfeld denied unloading the tanks or supervising the tanks as they were loaded onto a cargo ship.

However Judge Puckeridge said Rosenfeld had played a significant role in the importation.

"On the evidence before the court ... he was a willing participant in the importation of the prohibited drug into Australia," he told the court. "His role in relation to the importation was a significant one."

Judge Puckeridge said a psychiatrist report tendered to court showed Rosenfeld had considered smuggling the drugs "as an opportunity to obtain financial reward".

However he took into account that Rosenfeld suffered from stomach ulcers and had no family in Australia which would "place a harder burden" on his imprisonment.

SMH

This is in relation to THIS bust.
 
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