The Aus/NZ/Asian Drug Busts Mega-Thread El Número Cuatro

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Four charged over Bunbury drug bust

South-west Western Australian police say a recent raid in Bunbury will make a significant dent in the city's crime.

Police say they found a large amount of cannabis and amphetamines during the raid on a Carey Park home last week.

They also allegedly recovered stolen property believed to be linked to a number of recent burglaries, as well as cash and a stolen safe.

Two adults and two teenagers who lived at the home have been charged with a string of offences.

District Superintendent Lawrence Panaia says the bust will curb crime around Bunbury.

"It does it on two levels in that it's not just the drugs, it's also that whole link to crime so that obviously with that sort of drug dealing going on, there's a high level of stealing going on to fund it, so hopefully we'll be able to put a stop to two parts," he said.

"I think both. I think it will have an impact.

"It will hopefully slow down some of the stealings that we've had going on in Bunbury and I also think that some people may think twice about doing that sort of activity from their home.

"People believe things like cannabis are a soft drug. This just goes to show that it's actually not and it actually is a problem that we need to deal with."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-29/four-charged-over-bunbury-drug-bust/4339282

 

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10kgs of ice in suitcases seized, two charged in Sydney

Two Canadian nationals will appear in the Parramatta Local Court today, charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with importing narcotics.

On 26 October, Customs and Border Protection officers examined two suitcases when the 29-year-old man and 36-year-old woman arrived at the Sydney International Airport on a flight from Canada.

While examining the suitcases, Customs and Border Protection officers noticed anomalies within the suitcases.

Further examinations revealed approximately five kilograms of a substance believed to be methylamphetamine, commonly known as ‘ice’, concealed within false bottoms of the cases, approximately 10 kilograms in total.

Customs and Border Protection officers referred the matter to the AFP and the man and woman were charged with importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act (Cth) 1995.

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/icesuitcases.asp

 

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Teen charged with selling dodgy ecstasy tablets

A teenage boy has been charged with selling ecstasy tablets which left a number of people in hospital in Sydney's south.

Officers from the St George Drug Investigation Team searched the 17-year-old's home at Kogarah on Monday, after receiving an anonymous tip-off about the supply of drugs in the area.

Police allegedly seized seven ecstasy capsules, 85 grams of cannabis and a large amount of resealable plastic bags at the house.

The teenager was arrested at the address and charged with supplying drugs.

He is expected to face Sutherland Children's Court next month.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-01/teen-ecstacy-bust/4346164

 

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Bikie gang 'hooking rural youth on ice'

PHOTO: Formally known as crystal methylamphetamine, ice is now causing concern in rural towns like Mildura

Police in a rural Victorian town say an outlaw motorcycle gang is recruiting young people to distribute the drug ice through the nightclub scene.

Ice, also known as crystal methylamphetamine, has long been a problem in Australia's capital cities and is now causing concern in rural areas.

One of those areas is Mildura, where police say there has been a sharp increase in the drug's use.

Mildura resident Daniella, 20, has recently recovered from an 18-month ice habit but says most of her friends remain hooked.

"I never even knew one person who did it until 2010, and then all of sudden it was just like this big group of people that started doing it, and now 95 per cent of young kids that I know do it," she told AM.

"[The] majority of them have stopped working and don't go to school anymore."

Daniella says the problem is tied to an outlaw motorcycle gang which opened a chapter in town.

Once they're hooked they obviously start charging them for it. They run up a drug debt and once they have a drug debt then they are obligated and then they turn them into dealers.

Police chief Simon Clemence
She says the gang recruits young locals to distribute drug samples through the nightclub scene.

"They're the younger boys that the older men of the chapter hire to sort of do that work for [them] - [they] will go out and promote the drug," she said.

The region's police chief, Simon Clemence, says that reflects information gathered by officers.

"We have some fairly specific information that an outlaw motorcycle group, who I can't name at this point in time, is working within the Mildura community to try and get young people hooked on the drug ice," he said.

"It's been given away by a group of people to try and get these young Mildurans hooked on it.

"They usually target people that are relatively low income.

"Once they're hooked they obviously start charging them for it.

"They run up a drug debt and once they have a drug debt then they are obligated and then they turn them into dealers.

"It locks in a financial base for them."

Mental health risks

Darren Cutts, a nurse at a youth-specific drug rehabilitation unit in Ballarat, says Mildura is not the only rural Victorian town affected by ice.

"It has been around for a long time, but particularly we've found the numbers, particularly in the last six months have really exploded," he said.

AUDIO: Ice taking hold in regional Victoria (AM)
"We're a state-wide service, so whether it's Mildura, Echuca, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, all along the Murray, we are seeing a significant rise in methamphetamine or ice use."

He says rehab services, which traditionally target alcohol and cannabis use in rural parts of the state, need to catch up with the ice trend.

"It's basically infiltrating all levels of society at the moment, and if it's not controlled very, very soon we're going to be seeing a generation or a lot of young people developing some significant mental health issues," he said.

"Particularly paranoia, anxiety and there is a higher risk, particularly in a high dose and frequent use, for clients to develop acute psychotic episodes.

"So when they start hearing voices, they may act out, violent thoughts, so it can be quite a highly volatile, dangerous drug."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-01/bikie-gang-tied-to-rural-drug-spike/4345668

 

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Operation Warrior: the inside story of the defeat of Daniel Kalaja's huge drugs empire

OUTWARDLY, there was nothing unusual about the life of Daniel Kalaja.

He would go for runs with friends, pump iron at home in his spotless Gold Coast house and follow the fitness tips of his ex-girlfriend, a personal trainer.

Polite and personable, respectful to women and devoted to his father George and dog Roxy, he was also one of the state's most prolific drug traffickers.

While he looked like any other resident, his phone was being tapped. Listening devices were installed in his home and investigators were strangling his mammoth drug syndicate including a number of family members through seemingly unconnected busts.

The 13-month covert investigation, codenamed Operation Warrior, combined the resources of the Crime and Misconduct Commission, Queensland Police Service and NSW and Victorian police forces.

By the end of Warrior, 71 people would be arrested on 375 charges and Kalaja and his network would be collectively sentenced to more than 100 years' imprisonment.

Almost 170kg of cannabis, 5.13kg of methamphetamine, 3544 ecstasy tablets, 60 litres of fantasy precursor GBL and $1.9 million in cash were seized, putting an end to what was described in court as trafficking on a "heroic scale".

After Kalaja was convicted and jailed, The Sunday Mail spoke to investigators and obtained court records to reveal the inside story of the biggest covert operation ever led by the CMC and the syndicate it brought down.

"This was an ongoing enterprise for a long, long time," said lead Warrior investigator, Detective Sergeant John Hare, of the CMC's Organised Crime Investigation Team.

Warrior began in April 2009 with a core team of three investigators, two financial investigators, two intelligence officers and a lawyer.

The Kalaja syndicate initially traded in chop-chop, or illegal tobacco, after Daniel's father George and other relatives emigrated to Australia from Albania from the 1970s.

Cannabis became their mainstay. Kalaja and two relatives were all stopped by police in separate cars with multiple kilograms of the drug on different occasions in 2001.

The family stayed in the marijuana business and may have stayed off the radar of Queensland authorities except for one key development - Kalaja moved from Melbourne to the Gold Coast and branched out into other drugs for the first time.

Ecstasy, speed, ice, fantasy and cocaine dominate the glitzy Gold Coast party scene and new arrival Kalaja became immersed in the chemical culture.

The first raid on Kalaja occurred before Warrior started, when detectives from Surfers Paradise and the drug squad searched his Nexus Towers' home in April 2008.

Brazenly, he had been running his operation opposite the local police station.

Continued at-

http://www.news.com.au/national/ope...uge-drugs-empire/story-fndo4ckr-1226509849183

 

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Three charged for trafficking heroin during multiple search warrants overnight


Three men are scheduled to appear in Sydney Central Local court today (2 November, 2012) charged with trafficking approximately 4.5 kilograms of heroin.

An operation resulted in the execution of multiple search warrants in Sydney overnight. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested a 54-year-old Queensland man and two Singapore nationals aged 55 and 31.

AFP officers searched a vehicle in Coogee, locating approximately 1.5 kilograms of a substance believed to be heroin, and subsequently arrested the Queensland man.

During search warrants at a serviced apartment in Coogee, AFP officers located approximately three kilograms of a substance also believed to be heroin and $10,000 in cash. During this search warrant the 55-year-old Singapore national was arrested.

The 31-year-old Singapore national was later arrested during a search warrant at a hotel in Kensington.

All three men have been charged with trafficking commercial quantities of a border controlled drug, namely heroin, contrary to section 302.2(1) Criminal Code 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment and/or an $825,000 fine.

http://www.afp.gov.au/media-centre/...uring-multiple-search-warrants-overnight.aspx

 

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Tweed store a 'front' for drug operation

A TWEED Heads music store sold CDs to customers at the front door and "weed" to clients at the back door as part of a major drug trafficking operation.

The Courier-Mail reports Underground Music owner Lee Charles admitted his shop was used as a front while he sold an estimated $6 million worth of marijuana and ecstasy.

"I sold to skaters, mums and all sorts of people," Charles says in an affidavit lodged in Supreme Court confiscation proceedings against his supplier.

"I thought it was safer to sell weed from my shop as I thought the police would be less likely to raid a shop than a house."

Charles was just one dealer for the Kalaja family drug trafficking syndicate, which was smashed in a joint CMC and police operation codenamed Warrior.

The CMC is seeking to seize assets allegedly linked to Daniel Kalaja, the primary target of Warrior who was sentenced to 14 years jail in July.

Charles says in his affidavit that before meeting Kalaja he was a small-time dealer selling about half a kilogram of marijuana a week from the Bay Street music store.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/11/05/441188_crime-and-court-news.html

 

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Pair on drug charges after raid

Police have charged two people over the alleged discovery of a large quantity of drugs, weapons and cash in a midnight raid at the weekend.

The 33-year-old man and 40-year-old woman face a string of offences following a search of a property in Landsdale about 12.25am on Sunday.

Investigators allegedly seized more than 387 grams of a drug believed to be methylamphetamine along with cannabis, a firearm, a crossbow and more than $28,000 at the home.

The man has been charged with possession of a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply, two counts of possession of a prohibited drug, possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of an unlicensed firearm carried with drugs or cash, possession of stolen or unlawfully obtained property, possession of unlicensed ammunition, possession of a smoking utensil and failure to ensure safekeeping of ammunition.

He is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrate's Court today.

The woman has been charged with three counts of possession of a prohibited drug and possession of a smoking utensil.

She is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrate's Court on November 21.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/15302363/pair-on-drug-charges-after-raid/

 

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Former cop defends major drug charges

Three Tauranga men, including a former policeman, and a woman are on trial defending serious methamphetamine and cannabis charges.

The charges includes the manufacturing of $2.3m worth of methamphetamine, commonly known as P.

At the High Court in Rotorua today, Royce Duncan, 40s, and Wallace Bramley, 38, both defended a joint count each of manufacturing methamphetamine and conspiring to supply the drug.

Former policeman and real estate agent Nigel David Walker, 47, denied a count of conspiring with Duncan to engage in money laundering activities in respect of the purchase of a property, namely an industrial unit, at Mount Maunganui's Aerodrome Rd.

The fourth defendant Stacey Helen Russell (aka Clark), 36, denied a count each of supplying equipment, namely scales, to Duncan which were capable of being used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine.

Clark also denied a count of possession of cannabis for supply.

The charges against the accused stem from a large scale police surveillance operation dubbed Operation Safari, which was undertaken during March and September 2010.

During the operation, police searched several properties, intercepted phone calls and analysed thousands of text messages between the accused and other persons.



The trial is expected to take two weeks.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/news/former-cop-defends-major-drug-charges/1609171/

 

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Import of ephedrine concealed in baby powder foiled

Customs and Border Protection officers have seized two kilograms of the precursor chemical ephedrine arriving into Sydney in air cargo from the United Kingdom last Friday.
When officers examined the package it was found to contain two bottles labelled ‘baby powder’ and two packets of Dead Sea bath salts, however both bottles and packets contained ephedrine.

Ephedrine is a precursor used to manufacture dangerous and illegal amphetamine-type substances such as ‘ice’. Importing ephedrine without a permit is prohibited.

Customs and Border Protection National Manager Cargo Operations, Jagtej Singh, used the seizure to highlight the wide variety of concealments Customs and Border Protection officers often see.

“Despite the fact that these chemicals were concealed inside bottles of baby powder our intelligence systems and the diligent work of our officers resulted in another successful seizure,” Mr Singh said.

“This year alone, we have uncovered drugs and illicit chemicals built into safes, kitchen utensils and lengths of industrial cable, concealed in food using fish paste, rice flour, wine, and hidden in other everyday items.

“If you attempt to import drugs and precursor chemicals, no matter how you conceal them, there’s a high chance Customs and Border Protection will find them and you will be caught.”

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/mediaRelease20121031.asp

 

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Court hears trio trafficked heroin to feed addiction

The Supreme Court in Brisbane yesterday sentenced three people over trafficking more than $50,000 worth of heroin.

The court heard the trio committed the offences over a six-week period so they could feed their own drug habits.

Kylie Maree Smith, 40, was sentenced yesterday to to five years in jail.

She was caught in an undercover police operation in early 2011.

The sting also resulted in the arrest of her husband and another woman.

The prosecution told the court more than 330 calls about drugs were made to their telephone number.

This resulted in sales to 40 buyers totalling almost $53,000.

The court heard it was not a commercial operation, with profits consumed by the trio's own addictions.

Smith has already spent 18 months in jail and will be eligible for parole early next year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-07/court-hears-trio-trafficked-heroin-to-feed-addiction/4357994

 

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Pair appear in court on drugs charges

A Taiwanese man and a Chinese national will face Melbourne Magistrates Court today, charged with importing methamphetamine into Australia.

The two men were arrested on Monday, after customs intercepted three crates from Hong Kong, containing 29 kilograms of the drug.

The crates led Australian Federal Police to an address at Reservoir, in Melbourne's north, where one of the men was arrested.

At the same time, the second man was arrested in the CBD.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-07/pair-appear-in-court-on-drugs-charges/4357906

 

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Two men to face court over alleged drug supply - Surry Hills

Police from Surry Hills Region Enforcement Squad have charged two men following investigations into drug supply.

About 7.30pm yesterday (Monday 6 November 2012), officers stopped and searched a vehicle on Pyrmont Road, Pyrmont.

As a result of the search, officers allegedly located 148g of white powder believed to be meth amphetamine, and more than $70,000 in cash.

The two men, aged 62 and 28, were arrested and taken to Surry Hills Police Station where they where charged with supply indictable quantity of prohibited drugs, and deal with the proceeds of crime.

Both men were given conditional bail and will appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on 26 and 27 November 2012.

While the men were in custody, officers executed a search warrant on the 28-year-old man’s home on Wattle Street, Ultimo.

Police allegedly located a further 14g of white powder believed to be heroin, and a further $30,000 in cash.

Investigations into both men are continuing.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/m...nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjI2NTczLmh0bWwmYWxsPTE=

 

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Man charged after firearms and drugs seized - Port Stephens

A man has been charged with firearm and drug offences after a search warrant was executed in Medowie yesterday (Monday 5 November 2012).

At 10am (Monday 5 November 2012) detectives from Port Stephens Local Area Command executed a search warrant on a home in South Street.

Police allegedly located four firearms, including a loaded .22 calibre rifle in the bedroom, two shotguns, over 500 rounds of ammunition, a knuckle duster and a selection of knives.

They will also allege they located almost 5kg of cannabis leaf, a quantity of cannabis seeds and cannabis hash.

The 43-year-old Medowie man was arrested outside his home and taken to Raymond Terrace Police Station.

He was charged with nine offences and granted conditional bail to appear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on 17 December 2012.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/m...nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjI2NTcxLmh0bWwmYWxsPTE=

 

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Media Release: $237 million worth of drugs found in heavy machinery, two foreign nationals arrested

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has disrupted an international drug syndicate, seizing 350 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, with a combined estimated street value worth up to $237 million.

During the Sydney operation a total of 235 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth an estimated street value of up to $174 million and 115 kilograms of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of up to $63 million were seized along with approximately $150,000.

A 33-year-old US national was charged yesterday (20 November 2012) and will appear in Sydney Central Local today (21 November 2012).

A 34-year-old Canadian national was charged with importing the drugs and was refused bail in the Sydney Central Local Court on Monday (19 November 2012).

The seizure comes after a two and a half year complex and protracted AFP investigation, commencing in May 2010. The investigation, codenamed Operation Pendine, began when the AFP targeted an international organised crime syndicate planning to conduct a significant illicit drug importation into Australia.

On 17 and 18 November 2012, the AFP conducted a total of five search warrants in the Sydney suburbs of Warriewood, Randwick, Terrey Hills, North Narrabeen and Avalon.

A search warrant was executed in a storage unit at Warriewood in northern Sydney, where AFP officers located a 20 tonne road roller, dismantling equipment and 13 sports bags containing blocks of compressed powder and a crystalline substance.

Had the seizure reached Australian streets it would have had a significant impact on health workers, health of users as well as destroying countless families, according to experts.

Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Professor Michael Farrell said recent surveys of drug users have indicated increased use of methamphetamines, including “ice”.

There has also been a steady increase in use of cocaine over the past six years particularly among young women in their 20s.
“These are not benign substances,” Professor Farrell said. “Both are associated with mental health problems including psychosis, aggressive behaviour and unpredictability.

“As well there is increasing evidence linking cocaine and methamphetamine use to heart disease including sudden heart attacks.”

Acting National Manager Serious and Organised Crime David Sharpe said this seizure follows a number of successful joint investigations, which have resulted in the seizure of more than 2.3 tonnes of illicit substances in the past five months.

“This operation has stopped a significant amount of harmful drugs from entering the community,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Sharpe said.

“This seizure sends a clear message to criminals that no matter how long it takes, how complex or innovative the concealment method, global law enforcement is joining forces to stop the importation of illicit drugs into Australia.”

“Criminal syndicates targeting Australia should be looking over their shoulders every day.”

The US national and the Canadian national have been charged with the following offences:

Importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely Methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
Importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely Cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The US national was also charged with dealing with property dealing in proceeds of crime etc — money or property worth $100,000 or more, contrary to section 400.4(1) of the Criminal Code 1995.

The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment and/or $850,000 fine.

Enquiries into this matter remain ongoing and the AFP has not ruled out further arrests.

Media enquiries:
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333

http://www.afp.gov.au/media-centre/news/afp/2012/november/$237-million-worth-of-drugs-found-in-heavy-machinery-two-foreign-nationals-arrested.aspx

 

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Drug lab charge is a legal first

AN alleged drug manufacturer has been charged with manslaughter after his mate was killed when their backyard lab exploded, a legal first in Australia.

Crawford Leslie Dagger will face trial in April for the death of Matthew McKenzie, 23, who suffered fatal burns when a shed at the rear of a property in Kemps Creek, western Sydney, caught fire as they were allegedly cooking up large quantities of drugs.

Prosecutors said they were unable to find a precedent in Australia where a person was charged over a death caused by a drug lab explosion.

Before ordering the matter to trial in Campbelltown District Court yesterday, Judge Andrew Haesler said during a pre-trial argument: "You are asking me to boldly go where no judge has gone before."

Dagger appeared in court with scars still visible on his face from the fireball.

He is charged with manslaughter and manufacturing a commercial quantity of drugs.

He denies both charges.

The crown claims Dagger, a panel beater, is not a qualified chemist and was negligent because he should have known there was a possibility the dangerous materials could explode.

His legal team claim he cannot be held responsible for McKenzie's death because the circumstances surrounding the cause of the explosion are unknown and McKenzie may have entered the shed as a willing participant to the drug cooking.

The alleged drug lab, which was being rented from a neighbour and was left in a twisted pile of metal after the blast, burst into flames just after midnight on October 14, 2010.

Emergency services worked desperately at the scene to keep both men alive before they were transferred to Liverpool Hospital suffering burns to majority of their bodies.

The blaze also destroyed several cars inside the shed as well as sending plumes of toxic chemicals into the air.

McKenzie died the following day in Concord Hospital while Dagger suffered severe scarring and remained in hospital for at least three months.

With the trial more than five months away, Dagger was granted bail yesterday on the condition that he lives at his sister's Panania home.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/drug-lab-charge-is-a-legal-first/story-e6freuy9-1226521503169

 

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Repentant Nathan Baggaley: Sport is my salvation

FOR most people it would be pure pain. For disgraced Olympian Nathan Baggaley paddling 15km off the Sydney coastline today will be pure joy.

A year after being released from prison for charges relating to the manufacture and supply of more than 1500 ecstasy tablets, Baggaley will line-up in his first race.

It will be the first time in seven years the man who was one of this country's leading athletes, a dual Olympic medallist and multiple world champion kayaker, will compete.

It will be the first step in what a repentant Baggaley hopes is a new chapter in his life and one which he hopes will again involve his greatest passion. Sport.

A step forward into a world far away from the prison cells he called home for four years. A step towards a second chance, a chance his good mate Dean Gardiner has already given him by inviting him to race the Manly Wine King of the Harbour Ocean paddling event at Manly Beach today.

"Some people will have a problem with me, others will forgive me. There are no excuses for what I did,'' Baggaley said, speaking at length for the first time since his release from jail a year ago.

"Sport is my salvation. It took me to great places in my life. When it was taken away from me I hit the lowest places in my life.

"For me I want to get back to the good places I found with my sport. It's been the common denominator. Up until sport was taken away from me I never had any problems with the law or in general.''

Now 36, Baggaley says nothing will justify what he did. He knows not everyone wants to give him a second chance. He understands why. But he hopes they will change their mind.

"I can't be angry at the judicial system for locking me up. I put myself in that position,'' he said.

"I coped a pretty severe punishment. It was probably one of the more severe ones. I guess because I was a more profile person they wanted to make an example of me.

"I had to cop it. But I can't blame anyone else. And I can't be angry and I can't be bitter at people because I made the decisions and put myself in that position.

"Admittedly I wasn't in the best place in my life but I made the decisions and I have to live with them and get on with it.

"I need to get back on track, get my life in order and try and make it up to people, particularly my family.

"I've really put them through hell. Even my sport. The two sports that I love, kayaking and surf lifesaving. It blows back on them. I love those sports. I want to try and get back to the things I love and I want to get back involved in those things.

"It will take a bit of patience and a lot of work to win their trust back. But I am prepared to do it. I just hope at the end of the day someone is prepared to give me an opportunity and a second change.''

Baggaley, who claims his "downward spiral'' was triggered when he was prevented from competing in sport for "inadvertent" use of a steroid, wants his involvement with drugs to be a warning to others.

"Recreation drugs is a big problem out there. For me that's how it all started. When I started partying and using it (ecstasy), I only did it recreationally,'' said Baggaley whose brother Dru is still in jail.

"I was using it because I made me feel good and a way of escaping my depression at the time. Forgetting about all my problems. It came at a price. It cost me four years of my life.

"You don't want to open that door. It can lead to other things. Once you became comfortable just using recreational drugs you then become comfortable with maybe selling it.

"That would be my lesson . It is not worth opening that door in the first place.

"I personally became de-sensitised. You don't realise how bad it is, how illegal it is. I didn't realise how bad a thing I was doing. I became immune. You lose perspective.

"It wasn't until I was sitting in jail that I realised 'Wow, I really have messed up' and you realise how big a thing it is. It's too late then.''

Baggaley, who lives quietly north of Sydney with long-time partner Emeere Roberts, plans to start his own business in personal training.

But he has yet to rule out attempting to make a comeback to elite sport - if restrictions due to his criminal record does not prevent it.

"It is something I need to get back involved in. It gives me something to aim for, train for and keeps me motivated each day,'' he said.

"It doesn't have to be an Olympics. It could be just domestic races. That could be enough. It's the competition I thrive on. That is for me what I am aiming for.''

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...-is-my-salvation/story-e6freuy9-1226522868378

 

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Vulin drug conviction 'could harm treatment'

Burns victim Dana Vulin could be prevented from travelling overseas for treatment after she was fined and convicted for a string of drug offences this morning.

Vulin did not appear in Perth Magistrate's Court today where she was fined $3250 after pleas of guilty to six charges of possessing a prohibited drug were accepted in her absence.

The charges were laid before she was injured in a burns attack on February 16 when she was allegedly doused in methylated spirits and set alight in her Rivervale apartment.

Police raided Vulin's apartment in November last year and discovered a number of illicit drugs, including LSD, cocaine, MDMA tablets and 20.29g of methamphetamine, the court was told.

Police also discovered digital scales containing traces of methamphetamine.

Today, Vulin's lawyer Lana Paxman unsuccessfully argued for a spent conviction saying her client may need to travel to the United States and China to access treatment for her injuries and having a conviction for drug offences could impede her ability to enter other countries where a visa may be required.

She added that rehabilitation was an important part of Vulin's recovery.

She told the court Vulin received burns to 60 per cent of her body in the alleged attack and still needed to wear a compression suit day and night.

Vulin suffered from painful and debilitating contractions and is still unable to dress herself, prepare meals or go to the toilet unassisted, Ms Paxman said.

"She requires two massages a day... she has had to learn to walk all over again," Ms Paxman told the court.

In arguing for a spent conviction, Ms Paxman said Vulin had engaged in drug counselling before the offences and said it was unlikely she would reoffend.

"She can't go to the toilet by herself, let alone pack a meth pipe and light it," she said.

Chief Magistrate Steven Heath said the offences were serious and involved possession of a substantial quantity of methamphetamine as well as an "assortment of other drugs".

In refusing Vulin a spent conviction, he accepted that Vulin's circumstances may prevent her from reoffending but he said although she may need to travel for treatment, there was nothing presented to him to indicate that services in Australia and other countries were not adequate.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/15447292/vulin-drug-conviction-could-harm-treatment/

 

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Vietnamese student caught in drug smuggling web

Customs and Border Protection officers at Sydney International Airport have stopped an attempt to illegally import four kilograms of the precursor chemical ephedrine.

Officers arrested a 20 year-old female Vietnamese student after she arrived on a flight from Hanoi on Tuesday 20 November.

The ephedrine was found concealed inside three bags of food products.

Ephedrine is a dangerous precursor chemical which can be used in the manufacture of illegal amphetamine-type substances such as ‘ice’.

National Manager Airport Operations North, Craig Sommerville, used the seizure to warn international students about the perils of drug smuggling.

“International students are often targeted by smuggling syndicates with promises of a quick and easy payment,” he said.

“Individuals should always remember that drug smuggling is a serious crime often associated with lengthy prison sentences. If you’ve been approached to smuggle something into Australia, do the right thing, call Customs Watch on 1800 06 1800.”

The maximum penalty for importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled precursor, such as ephedrine, is a fine of up to $550,000 and/or 25 years in prison.

The student appeared in Sydney Central Local Court and has been remanded in custody.

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/20121122mediaRelease.asp

 

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Police in music festival drug bust

Police have found 55 people with drugs including cannabis, LSD and mushrooms at a music festival in the NSW Riverina region.

The Strawberry Fields Music Festival was held in Tocumwal, on the border with Victoria, over the weekend.

A drug detection dog helped police seize a range of prohibited drugs including amphetamines, cannabis, ecstasy, LSD, methylamphetamine and magic mushrooms.

Police laid 41 drug-related charges and issued 14 people with cannabis caution notices.

They also charged 21 people with drug supply and 10 with possessing equipment to administer prohibited drugs.

One person was charged after allegedly being found in possession of ammunition.

All charges are expected to be heard at Finley Local Court in February.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/police-in-music-festival-drug-bust-20121125-2a13m.html