The Australian/NZ Drug Busts Mega-Thread Part Triforce

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Man charged for importing cocaine

Man charged for importing cocaine

A 34-year-old Hornsby man is scheduled to appear in Sydney Central Local Court today after being charged by Australian Federal Police (AFP) for attempting to import approximately 1.5 kilograms of cocaine in his luggage.

The man arrived at Sydney International Airport on a flight from Argentina yesterday, Sunday 21 August 2011.

Customs and Border Protection drug detector dogs reacted positively to the man and a baggage examination by Customs and Border Protection officers was conducted, with an anomaly detected in the lining of his suitcase.

Initial testing of the suitcase returned a positive result for cocaine. The total weight of the substance was approximately one and a half kilograms.

The man was referred to the AFP and charged for importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.2(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.​

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Clandestine laboratory, Kingaroy

Clandestine laboratory, Kingaroy

Kingaroy police have charged a 25-year-old local man with 15 drug related offences after officers allegedly located a clandestine drug laboratory at a Kingaroy home yesterday.

Police attended an Earl Street residence around 9.15am where they located materials allegedly used to produce methylamphetamines.

The man was charged with producing dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs, six counts of possessing substances and several other drug related offences.

He is due to appear in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court today.​

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NSW police launch officer drugs crackdown

NSW police launch officer drugs crackdown

One in three New South Wales police officers will be tested for illegal drugs over the coming year.

The NSW Police Force's Professional Standards Command has more than doubled the number of random tests, from about 2000 to 5000 for this financial year.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Carey says the decision was taken after two senior officers and a constable were recently caught using cocaine.

"In July there were five recall targeted tests on people who we had reasonably good intelligence to say that they may have been using drugs," Assistant Commissioner Carey said.

"Three of those people tested positive for illicit drugs. One was in the metropolitan area and two were in the country."

Commissioner Andrew Scipione had a clear message after the suspensions of the two officers from NSW's Northern Region were announced last week.

"People need to decide whether they actually want to be police officers or they want to take drugs, because the two can't be reconciled," he said.

"If you take those drugs, if you take recreational drugs, there is no place for you in the NSW Police Force."​

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Drug maker jailed on appeal

Drug maker jailed on appeal

A backyard drug manufacturer from Busselton has been jailed after state prosecutors appealed against his original sentence.

Daniel Charles Jenkins, 34, pleaded guilty to five counts of manufacturing methamphetamine after police uncovered a drug laboratory in bushland near Busselton.

He avoided jail but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed against the decision.

Court of Appeal president Carmel McClure overturned the original sentence last month, saying the alarming increase in illegal drug laboratories had become dire.

She told the court illegal drug labs pose a threat to the community and Jenkins' sentence needed to serve as a deterrent to others.

Jenkins faced court again yesterday and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail.

The DPP is seeking to appeal against a suspended sentence handed to another Busselton drug manufacturer.

Stuart Exeter Hyder, 50, pleaded guilty to manufacturing and possessing prohibited drugs after police uncovered a drug laboratory in an aircraft hangar at Jandakot Airport in 2009.

He received a four-year suspended sentence.​

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Sydney drugs raid uncovers valuable artworks

Sydney drugs raid uncovers valuable artworks

Police have found a dusty stash of valuable works by famous Australian artists under a bed during a drug raid in a western Sydney home.
Officers raided a home in Ellam Drive, Seven Hills, about 10.50am yesterday and found 16 drawings in a folder, believed to be original works by Norman Lindsay along with two painting, one of which - a framed painting - was by Pro Hart.
Blacktown crime manager Detective Inspector Ian Woodward said some of the Norman Lindsay works were nudes, while another was a drawing of his well-known Magic Pudding characters.

Other artworks was also located but their artists are unknown.
"We weren't expecting to find it," Detective Inspector Woodward said.
"We were actually searching for drugs and we came up with paintings."
He said some of the works were hidden under a bed and appeared to be in good condition.
"I'm certainly no painting expert - they were a little bit dusty and they're in old wooden frames."
Detective Inspector Woodward said police believe the works were stolen and charges were likely to be laid.
Investigators were now trying to find the owners of the artworks, he said.
Timothy Abdallah, national head of art for Menzies Auctioneers, said Lindsay's nudes were sold regularly and could fetch between $2000 and $6000, while a good Magic Pudding drawing could sell for as much as $10,000.

Mr Abdallah said Hart's most elaborate paintings had sold for about $20,000 and attracted particularly high bids after his death in 2006.
Some smaller Hart paintings have recently sold for between $1500 and $2000, he said.
Mr Abdallah said both Lindsay and Hart were considered eminent Australian artists.
"In the market they're significant, but they're also historically significant," Mr Abdallah said.
"Pro Hart is probably the best known artist in the country.

"He's not the best artist in the country, but he's a very popular artist ... he's a famous household name.
"They've both got popular appeal, both of those artists."

Lindsay was a cartoonist for The Bulletin magazine and wrote children's books including The Magic Pudding in 1917.
Lindsay, who died in the NSW Blue Mountains in 1969, was also well-known for his sketches and oil paintings of voluptuous nude women.
Hart, a Broken Hill painter of the Australian outback, was known for his unconventional ways including once shooting paint out of a cannon on to canvasses.
Police also seized jewellery, electrical appliances and small amounts of substances believed to be heroin and cannabis.
A 51-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were each charged with a number of drug supply charges.
They were refused bail and are to appear at Penrith Local Court today.​

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Clandestine drug laboratory, Sarina

Clandestine drug laboratory, Sarina

Two men have been charged with drug related offences after officers allegedly located a clandestine drug laboratory in a Sarina home yesterday.

Police executed a search warrant on the Kathleen Street residence around 4.00pm where they allegedly located materials used to produce drugs.

A 33-year-old Sarina man has been charged with trafficking, produce a dangerous drug and possess a firearm.

A 22-year-old Sarina man has been charged with produce a dangerous drug, possess drugs, and possess a firearm.

Both men will appear in the Sarina Magistrates Court on September 8.​

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Drug charges laid in boaties sting

Drug charges laid in boaties sting

Seven people have been charged with 12 drug-related offences after a major police and customs raid on boats on the Fraser Coast in south-east Queensland yesterday.

Police say 90 officers raided 54 boats from Tin Can Bay to Bundaberg, looking for drug-related material.

The raid was part of joint Operation Juliet Osprey, involving federal and state police and Customs' officers.​

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Surgeon jailed over prostitute cocaine deaths

Surgeon jailed over prostitute cocaine deaths

A Sydney neurosurgeon has been been jailed for five years over the deaths of two prostitutes during cocaine and sex sessions.

Suresh Nair pleaded guilty to the 2009 manslaughter of Suellen Domingues Zaupa and to supplying cocaine to another escort, Victoria McIntyre.

Both women died from cocaine toxicity at his exclusive Elizabeth Bay unit, in Sydney's inner east, in separate drug and sex sessions.

Nair, 43, also pleaded guilty to a charge of supplying a prohibited drug while on bail.

In the New South Wales District Court today, Nair was sentenced to five years and three months in jail.

He will be eligible for parole in 2015.

Justice Robert Toner referred to the depths to which Nair had "fallen".

He noted that Nair had shown remorse and has a permanent eye injury after being bashed in jail, but also said Nair was negligent and self-indulgent.

"The offender displayed a determined persistence in abusing cocaine," Justice Toner said.

The judge also noted Nair had breached his original bail conditions by using cocaine and hiring prostitutes, even though he was banned from doing so.

During his committal hearing the New South Wales District Court was told Nair often booked more than two escorts a night, then snorted and smoked cocaine with them for hours.

The court heard on the night Ms Zaupa died, Nair agreed to pay her and another escort $26,000 each to have group sex with him.

Ms Zaupa was struggling to breathe when she died as Nair and the other escort watched.

The court heard that despite his medical training, Nair did not call an ambulance when Ms Zaupa was having convulsions.

The surgeon had been suspended from his job at Nepean Hospital, in Sydney's west, three times since 2004.

He had been regularly tested for drugs and in 2008 a complaint about his clinical practice was referred to the New South Wales Medical Board.

It is understood other complaints have been made against him by patients he has operated on.​

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$120K price put on seized drugs

$120K price put on seized drugs

Police say drugs seized during an operation in the Casino area this week had an estimated street value of $120,000.

Officers assigned to Operation Bronco are investigating a string a recent break-ins at pharmacies in the Richmond local area command.

There was another at a Casino pharmacy in Walker Street early on Wednesday morning.

Later that day, police arrested three men aged in their 30s.

A house in Oak Avenue was searched and police say they found a large quantity of cold and flu tablets, which can used in the manufacture of amphetamines.

Yesterday, a man and woman in their 30s were arrested at a Hickey Street home.

Police will allege that a search of the house and an Ellangowen property uncovered amphetamines, cannabis and steroids.

All those arrested have been charged with stealing or drug-related offences.​

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Police dismantle drug lab

Police dismantle drug lab

Police anticipate there will be further arrests relating to the discovery of an illegal drug manufacturing laboratory at Gilgandra in central western New South Wales.

Michael John Forrest, 39, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after a three-month investigation by detectives attached to Strike force LILO.

He has been refused bail in the Dubbo Local Council on charges of manufacturing, supplying and possessing amphetamines.

The Orana crime manager, Detective Inspector Rod Blackman, says the clandestine laboratory was found in a caravan on the property.

"I suppose it's best described as a rudimentary laboratory," he said.

"Some of these set-ups now have moved to smaller units and basically garden variety paraphernalia that's been altered to be used in the manufacture of illegal drugs.

"It's still early days, the chemical operations unit is still out there processing the scene."

Inspector Blackman says extreme caution is being taken to dismantle the equipment.

"Amphetamines and methylamphetamines generally, they're very dangerous chemicals used in these, so why people continue to use the end product I don't know," he said.

"Certainly if they saw some of the chemicals that are used in the processes and cutting agents and so forth I think they may have a different view of them."

A 29-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, both from Dubbo, are also facing charges of knowingly taking part in the manufacture of prohibited drugs.

Inspector Blackman says he expects the discovery will have an impact on the local supply of amphetamines.

"Any arrest where there's an allegation of manufacturing prohibited drugs is significant," he said.

"They don't come up very often but in our view they certainly put a dint in that industry."​

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Multi-agency maritime operation, Tin Can Bay to Bundaberg

Multi-agency maritime operation, Tin Can Bay to Bundaberg

A two-day multi-agency operation targeting drugs and other illegal activity on commercial and recreational fishing vessels from Tin Can Bay to Bundaberg has finished.



Operation Juliet Osprey was a joint operation between Queensland Police Service (QPS), Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, Australian Federal Police, Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Australian Crime Commission.



The operation targeted a range of criminal activity including drug trafficking, drug use by crew members, being in charge of vessels while under the influence of drugs, firearms offences and other prohibited items, fishery and related offences.

During the phase of the operation conducted at Tin Can Bay, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Harbour areas 49 fishing vessels were boarded.

Multi-agency boarding teams consisting of members from the QPS and Customs and Border Protection boarded and searched these vessels during the two day operation resulting in the detection of 12 drug offences detected (six possession of drug offences, five possession of drug implements and one possession of restricted item).

As a result, Queensland Police charged seven male offenders. The men, three Tin Can Bay men aged 38, 46 and 20, a 55-year-old from Howard, a 44-year-old from Nambour and a 44-year-old from Urangan are due to appear in court at a later date.

Traffic enforcement was also conducted adjacent to various boat ramps from Tin Can Bay to Burrum Heads over the two days resulting in 16 infringement notices and 18 random breath tests.

Approximately 55 personnel, including QPS and Customs and Border Protection drug detection dog teams took part each day of the operation.

Regional Crime Coordinator, Detective Superintendent Maurice Carless said it was a well-coordinated and successful multi-agency operation.

"The coordination and deployment of a large number of resources, including personnel, land and sea assets, by a number of agencies, required very detailed planning and cooperation.

“Notwithstanding the prevailing weather conditions, this operation ran very smoothly and all involved in the planning and execution should be commended for their efforts,” he said.​

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Swan Hill drug bust triggers charges

Swan Hill drug bust triggers charges

Police have continued a crackdown on illegal drugs in north-west Victoria, with a series of raids at Swan Hill this week.

Police made 19 arrests in Mildura under Operation Inception last week.

This week their attention turned to the Swan Hill district.

They searched 12 homes over two days and have charged nine people with a total of 26 offences, including drugs and firearms charges.

Officers seized nearly two kilograms of dried cannabis from Swan Hill and Birchip, as well as prescribed medication and ammunition.

Several people have been cautioned but court appearances started yesterday for those charged with the most serious offences of drugs trafficking.

Senior police say their work has been aided by a good flow of information from the community and are appealing to people to keep passing on information.​

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Police arrest alleged drug boss in Sydney

Police arrest alleged drug boss in Sydney

Police in Sydney have arrested two people, seizing guns and the drug ice in a joint agency operation targeting an alleged importation and distribution syndicate.
The arrests follow a joint agency investigation, involving detectives from the New South Wales State Crime Command's Asian Crime Squad under Strike Force Crossbow; the Australian Federal Police; the Australian Crime Commission; the Australian Customs Service, and West Australia Police under Strike Force Merrick.

The operation was set up in April this year to investigate the alleged large commercial supply and interstate trafficking of drugs, including heroin and ice.

They say Asian Crime Squad detectives arrested a 38-year-old man and 49-year-old woman en route to Sydney Airport on Friday morning.
They say the man is a key figure in the alleged syndicate.

A search of the vehicle they were travelling in uncovered one kilogram of ice and a quantity of cash.
The 38-year-old man was charged with a number of offences relating to illegal drugs, weapons and the proceeds of crime.
The woman was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The pair was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.​

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Drug lord nabbed in Sydney bust

^ More

Drug lord nabbed in Sydney bust

Police believe they have caught the ringleader of a large drug importation syndicate after two people were arrested yesterday en route to Sydney Airport and charged with drug offences.

Officers from the Asian Crime Squad, working with Australian Federal Police, the Crime Commission and Customs set up an operation in April to bust a drug ring they allege was trafficking heroin and ice between Australia and overseas.

Authorities swooped yesterday, arresting a 38-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman on their way to Sydney airport.

A search of their car uncovered more than one kilogram of the illicit drug ice and a sum of cash, while police say the woman had packages of ice strapped to her body.

Police also executed a search warrant on a unit in Haymarket, finding a sawn-off shotgun, a quantity of ice and $10,000 in cash.

A coordinated raid in Western Australia uncovered more ice and a stun gun.

The woman was charged with the supply of a commercial quantity of drugs and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Police believe the man, who is from Western Australia, is a main figure in the alleged syndicate.

He was charged with supply and possession of the drug, as well as gun offences.

They will appear in court today.

Police say they expect to make more arrests as investigations continue.​

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ok now this is FUCKED UP...

POLICE will be able to commit crimes, including trading drugs and carrying firearms while working undercover, as part of new laws.

Under legislation before State Parliament, covert operatives would be granted immunity from prosecution for certain offences so they can maintain their cover in police operations to snare the Mr Bigs of organised crime.

But under the Criminal Investigation (Covert Powers) Bill, undercover detectives would be forbidden from engaging in the most serious crimes, including those that cause death, seriously endanger health or a sexual offence.

In addition, the identities of operatives would automatically be protected so they can give evidence in court, but only reveal their names to a judge.

And trusted public servants who create "watertight" assumed identities for undercover operatives would be protected from criminal and civil liability for providing fake documents such as birth certificates, drivers' licences, passports, Medicare details and social security records.

The laws would apply to officers involved in criminal investigations where the penalty was at least three years imprisonment.

Until now, WA Police has been forced to work with federal agencies, such as the Australian Crime Commission and Australian Federal Police, who have controlled operations laws that authorise officers to engage in unlawful conduct.Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich said the new laws were crucial to busting organised crime.

"Generally speaking, with organised crime, it is conspiratorial in nature. There is a hierarchy and somewhere in that is a Mr Big," Mr Anticich said. "Having these capabilities will enable us to infiltrate those kinds of syndicates and effectively move up the rungs so we are not just dealing with the lower order who often do the dirty work.

"To be brutally frank, right now we are fighting a war to stop growth (of organised crime). It's getting bigger and broader, more complicated, more complex, so at the moment our principle objective is to constrict ... we are battling to keep on top of exponential growth."

Police Minister Rob Johnson said crime gangs were known to "test" people in the belief they may be undercover police officers and incite them to commit offences as a show of their credibility. "Any refusal may put an officer's life at risk," Mr Johnson said.

"To really get to the crux of who is running the crime gangs, who are their lieutenants, who is involved not just in WA but in other states and other countries is essential."

Mr Johnson said he hoped the laws would achieve bipartisan support when he opened debate in parliament next month. The laws will also allow investigations and surveillance operations to cross borders without having to seek authorisation from other states.

WA Police Union president Russell Armstrong supported the proposed laws, saying undercover officers and their families deserved the greatest protection.

Opposition police spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said the previous attorney-general had agreed to similar laws, which were "vital to combat organised crime which does not respect state borders".

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wes...-undercover-cops/story-e6frg143-1226123442632

 

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Police swoop as alleged boss of ice ring becomes drug mule

Police swoop as alleged boss of ice ring becomes drug mule

FOR five months Brendon Tran allegedly employed mules to carry out the risky job of transporting the drug ice past airport security and on to flights from Sydney to Perth.
As the alleged kingpin of an interstate drug syndicate, his role was to supervise the importation of the drug from Asia to Sydney, where it was repackaged, and then employ others to take it west, police say.
But on Friday, in a move that has baffled police, Mr Tran allegedly decided to do the work himself.

The 38-year-old allegedly strapped crystal methamphetamine to his body and drove to Sydney Airport to board a 6am flight to Perth along with a woman and alleged mule, Lan Ly, 49.
Detectives had been monitoring Mr Tran since at least March when they were presented with the arrest opportunity.

The head of the Asian Crime Squad, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, said yesterday: ''It is unusual for [the main player] to become hands on.''
A raid on Mr Tran's Haymarket apartment and two Perth properties allegedly uncovered further amounts of ice and cash as well as a sawn-off shotgun, a revolver and a stun gun.
Superintendent Cook said more arrests were likely because the alleged syndicate employed a large number of drug couriers hoping to avoid detection by security at Sydney and Perth airports.

''Personally I think it's crazy but they've obviously been doing it for some time and it's obviously something that can happen,'' he said. ''Their methods are to use many, many people to convey small amounts as opposed to one large amount. One large seizure has a massive impact on them, one or two small people getting taken out has little impact on the wider network.''
Mr Tran and Ms Ly were charged with supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and were refused bail at Parramatta Local Court yesterday. They will reappear on Tuesday.​

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[NZ] Meth lab find sparks evacuation

Meth lab find sparks evacuation

Police have evacuated several houses in the North Shore suburb of Birkdale after discovering a clandestine drug lab this morning.

The lab, being used to make methamphetamine, was discovered about 10.30am, police said in a statement.

They went a Birkdale address after receiving reports about a strong chemical smell coming from the property.

The house and some of the neighbouring houses were evacuated.

Police and ESR scientists are examining the scene and the occupants were helping police with their inquiries.​

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Court jails pseudoephedrine importer

Court jails pseudoephedrine importer

A Mount Gambier man has been jailed for importing pseudoephedrine into Australia.

Trevor Furner, 52, was arrested in August 2009 after a lengthy investigation which began after Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted two small parcels containing white powder which arrived in Australia from Malaysia.

The parcels were addressed to Mount Gambier properties, in south-east South Australia, which were then searched.

Furner was charged with the importation of a marketable quantity of pseudoephedrine.

The Adelaide District Court sentenced Furner to two years and seven months in jail.​

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Drug arrest, Townsville

Drug arrest, Townsville

A 44-year-old Townsville man appeared in the Townsville Magistrates Court this morning following his arrest for drug matters.

The man was allegedly located at the Townsville Ferry Terminal during the morning on August 27 with a quantity of methyl amphetamine and cannabis.

The man was charged with trafficking a dangerous drug; four counts of possession of a dangerous drug; two counts of possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence; possession of a thing used for smoking a dangerous drug; possession of property used in the commission of an offence; and, fail to dispose of a syringe.

The man was granted bail and is due to appear in the Townsville Magistrates Court again on September 19.​

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Police target drug and alcohol-related drivers in weekend operation - Monaro

Police target drug and alcohol-related drivers in weekend operation - Monaro

Police have conducted random drug and breath tests in Monaro, in the southern region in a three-day operation.

Police conducted 350 random roadside drug tests from 26 to 28 August and detected 6 people who returned a positive result to an illegal drug.

The operation was conducted by officers from the Monaro Highway Patrol and supported by the Traffic Technology Section.

Among those arrested was a 30-year-old man from Dungog who had been disqualified from driving until 2028. He tested positive for methylamphetamine and will appear at Cooma Local Court on 19 October, 2011.

A 39-year-old man from Sylvania was also arrested after police determined he was a disqualified driver until 2014 and will appear at Queanbeyan Local Court on 3 October 2011.

Monaro Highway Patrol Sgt. Dominic Goodyer said Police also issued 75 traffic infringement notices, 9 defect notices, detected 5 unlicensed drivers and one suspended driver.

“The message we are sending is that if you use illegal drugs and drive a motor vehicle there is a very real chance you will get caught by the police and lose your driver licence,” Sgt. Goodyer said.

“Persons affected by illegal drugs and alcohol not only pose a risk to themselves and others in their car but all other persons using the road at that particular time.”​

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