19 Nov

19Nov

HUGE GBL BUST

09-02-2018 -

A joint Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force operation has resulted in one of Australia’s largest seizures of the drug gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) - commonly referred to as liquid ecstasy, fantasy, or ‘coma in a bottle’.

A 30-year-old man has been charged for his alleged role in the 2000-litre importation of GBL which has a street value of $10 million.

The operation began in early February when ABF Investigators received information and identified a high-risk shipping container arriving into Sydney.

The consignment contained 120 drums, each with a capacity of 200 litres. During a physical examination ABF officers at the NSW Container Examination Facility identified 10 drums that had a number of anomalies. Presumptive testing of the liquid in the 10 drums, labelled as car pre-painting wash, returned a positive result for GBL totalling an approximate volume of 2000 litres.

The matter was referred to the AFP for further investigation and subsequent crime scene analysis by AFP forensics specialists confirmed the positive result.

Further forensic analysis will be conducted to determine the exact volume and purity of the liquid. It is estimated this volume of GBL could have a potential street value of approximately $10 million

Today (Friday, 9 February), AFP officers executed a series of search warrants across Sydney in Warwick Farm, Marrickville, Moorebank and Lewisham, where a 30-year-old man was arrested.

The man was charged with one count of importing of a commercial quantity of a border controlled substance under subsection 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). He is scheduled to face Liverpool Court later today.

AFP Commander Chris Sheehan, State Manager NSW, said while some people believed GBL was a harmless “party drug”, the realities were much more dangerous.

“What people are actually ingesting is an industrial chemical solvent. The World Health Organization says it is the kind of substance commonly found in paint strippers, stain removers, and circuit board cleaners,” Commander Sheehan said.

“This ‘coma in a bottle’ affects a person’s consciousness – predators have used it to enable rape. It is vital we continue to work with our partners at the border to stop any dangerous drug that can contribute to these sorts of crimes in our community.”

ABF Regional Commander NSW, Tim Fitzgerald, said the detection again shows the effectiveness of Australia’s border and law enforcement agencies working together.

“From just a small piece of information received, investigators from the ABF and AFP were able to stop a significant amount of dangerous chemicals reaching the community and we now have a person before the courts,” Regional Commander Fitzgerald said.

“This detection is a direct result of the expertise and capability of ABF officers in identifying a high risk shipment and the method used to conceal this extremely dangerous drug”

GBL metabolises into the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in the body. It can cause abrupt loss of consciousness, memory loss, respiratory difficulties, coma, and death.

Investigations into this importation are ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.

Anyone with information about the importation of illicit drugs is encouraged to contact Border Watch by visiting www.homeaffairs.gov.au/borderwatch. You can provide information anonymously.

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

12KGS OF COCAINE FOUND IN LUGGAGE

09-02-2018 -

A 24-year-old US national appeared before Sydney Central Local Court today, charged with importing approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine in his luggage through Sydney International Airport.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers selected the man for a baggage examination after he arrived on a flight from Chile last night (8 February 2018).

The ABF will allege they found the weight of the man’s suitcase unusually heavy after its contents were emptied. Further examination indicated that a false bottom had been installed in each side of the suitcase. X-ray images also identified an anomaly in the suitcase.

ABF officers deconstructed the suitcase, revealing a white powdery substance. Initial testing of the substance returned a positive result for cocaine. Further forensic testing will be conducted to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers attended and arrested the man, later charging him with:

import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
possession of a controlled drug namely cocaine, contrary to Section 308.1, of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

These charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The man was refused bail and will reappear in court on 18 April 2018.

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

30KGS OF COCAINE FOUND

20-01-2018 -

A joint Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) operation has resulted in the arrest of four men following the detection of 30kg of cocaine in Brisbane.

Operation AKWE began on 8 January 2018, after an ABF examination of a shipping container identified a concealment of a white powdery substance inside an upper structural rail of the container. Presumptive testing of the substance by ABF indicated a positive reading for cocaine. The goods within the container were described as 40 cases containing sports field rubber granules. The matter was then referred to the AFP.

On 9 January 2018, AFP Crime Scenes deconstructed the container and located approximately 99 packages wrapped in plastic containing a compressed white powder. Further presumptive testing of the powder by AFP also indicated the presence of cocaine.

As a result, the AFP commenced a controlled operation with the shipping container delivered to an address in the Brisbane suburb of Wacol.

Yesterday, (19 January 2018), a 45-year-old man and a 46-year-old man accessed the shipping container and removed material. These two men and another two men (aged 52 and 48) were arrested.

AFP acting Commander Mark Colbran, Manager Crime Operations, said that this operation was relatively short in nature but saw a great outcome.

“To have this operation wrapped up in a couple of weeks and to have four individuals before the court facing serious drug importation charges demonstrates the success of the partnership between the AFP and ABF, preventing these drugs coming in and protecting the community,” acting Commander Colbran said.

“This activity should also serve as a warning to those that think they can slip drugs into Australia during our holiday season, we are working to disrupt your illegal trade,” he said.

ABF Regional Commander Queensland, Terry Price, said that this is a sizeable concealment that could have had lasting and damaging effects on Queensland communities.

“This is a significant blow to the illicit the drug trade here in Queensland. The ABF and its partners are well versed in the detrimental effects that this ruinous drug has on families and communities and we are committed to stemming the flow of its trade and sale.”

“Even using unique concealments like this this, importers are no match for our highly trained officers and cutting-edge x-ray technology.”

All four men were conveyed to AFP Brisbane Office where they were charged with importing and possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

All four men are scheduled to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court today (20 January 2018).

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

MASSIVE 1 TONNE COCAINE BUST

18-01-2018 -

An AFP-led investigation into an alleged organised crime syndicate has resulted in the seizure of 1.28 tonnes of cocaine in Sydney – the second-largest seizure in Australian history – with a potential street value nearing half a billion dollars.

Operation Amorgos commenced in April 2017, with the interception of a container of pre-fabricated steel arriving into Sydney from a source country via China by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers.

An examination by ABF officers revealed 2576 individual blocks of cocaine concealed within the steel, weighing 1.28 tonnes in total.

This is the second-largest haul of cocaine in Australia, the largest being 1.4 tonnes of cocaine seized as a result of a joint operation conducted by the AFP and ABF in February 2017.

AFP forensic chemists conducted a deconstruction and analysis of the cocaine and determined a purity of around 78 per cent, meaning the seizure has an estimated street value of up to $500 million.

AFP investigators commenced a tenacious nine-month investigation to pursue those allegedly responsible for this importation. This has involved the cooperation of law enforcement and border protection agencies worldwide, including the ABF and New Zealand Police.

On Tuesday, 16 January 2018, three Australian nationals were detained by Serbian authorities (the Service for Combating Organised Crime, of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia in cooperation with the Prosecutors Office for Organised Crime of the Republic of Serbia), for their suspected links to an organised crime syndicate the AFP believes is responsible for facilitating the importation of the 1.28 tonnes of cocaine.Further investigation and liaison with Serbian authorities is still ongoing.

As a result of the action by Serbian authorities, the AFP executed five search warrants on Wednesday, 17 January 2018 in Canberra, Murrumbateman, Jeir and Goulburn.

No arrests have been made in Australia at this time, though investigations remain ongoing.

AFP Detective Superintendent Stephen Dametto, Coordinator Organised Crime and Cyber, said the worldwide span of Operation Amorgos illustrates the advantage the AFP’s international network provides in targeting organised crime syndicates operating globally.“This investigation has demonstrated the agility and ingenuity of AFP investigators, who took a seizure and ran with it in cooperation with our international partners to identify an organised crime syndicate,” Detective Superintendent Dametto said.“We know Australia remains one of the most attractive markets for drug imports – in 2017, we made record seizures of cocaine at the Australian border in AFP joint operations. We will continue to work cooperatively with our partners to dismantle syndicates behind importations and target their crime networks at their source, wherever in the world that may be.”

ABF Acting Assistant Commissioner, Strategic Border Command, Tim Fitzgerald said the seizure is a testament to the detection, intelligence and investigative capabilities of the ABF and partner agencies before, at and after the border.

“Thanks to the diligence of ABF intelligence officers we were able to identify the specific container as it was travelling to Sydney and then target that container for a search when it arrived,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald said.

“This was a sophisticated concealment, but thanks to our highly trained officers and world-class screening technology, we were able to locate the cocaine and ultimately disrupt a significant international drug operation.”

New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner (Investigations), Richard Chambers, said NZ Police will continue to work closely with Australian colleagues to target and catch transnational criminals responsible for the movement of illicit drugs.

“Cocaine causes significant harm to individuals, families and communities and we are pleased Operation Amorgos has prevented a significant amount of this drug entering the marketplace,” Assistant Commissioner Chambers said.

MAN CAUGHT WITH 190KG OF COCAINE

A Sydney father-of-three is facing life in jail after being charged over an alleged record cocaine bust buried in a shipment concealed as 'bananas'.

Mohammed Ayoubi was arrested by Australian Federal Police as he allegedly waited for the arrival of a boat from New Zealand, which authorities said was carrying 190kg of cocaine, which has a street value of more than $50 million.

Police said Ayoubi, 40, from Alfords Point, in the city's south, had expected the shipment of drugs to arrive from New Zealand, the final leg of its three-month international journey.

But unbeknown to him the shipment had been intercepted by New Zealand border officials the day before, and replaced with a fake substance, before being sent on its way to Sydney.As Ayoubi allegedly awaited the arrival of five large duffle bags containing 57kg of cocaine, police arrested him and charged him for his role in the alleged organised crime syndicate.Before his arrest last week Ayoubi and his wife Shianna regularly showed off a fancy lifestyle on social media.

Ayoubi's Facebook page is littered with photos of the couple posing together while at masquerade balls or dressed up for a day out at 'The Everest' races.

Mrs Ayoubi also often shared pictures of the couple out and about with their kids. It is not suggested she was involved or knew of the alleged drug syndicate.

The couple's shocked neighbours told Daily Mail Australia they were amazed to hear about Ayoubi's alleged involvement in the drug syndicate.I saw the police car there the other day but had no idea what was going on,' one of their neighbours said.

'I'd see them often and they would wave as they were going out of their driveway.

'They were always nice, he was a family man... it's incredible.'

Ayoubi was once praised in a newsletter at his children's school for his volunteer work in the canteen. AFP authorities last week revealed the 190kg haul began its journey to Australia at a port in Panama, South America, on August 4.

The shipment, which was listed as carrying 'bananas', took two weeks to travel across the South Pacific Ocean before arriving in Auckland, NZ, on August 20.

But it wasn't until November 14, close to three months later, just as the ship prepared to head to Sydney, that Australian authorities shared information about a local crime gang with their NZ counterparts.The Australian-bound ship was then checked again and the drugs allegedly found. A day later - after raids in Alfords Point and Willey Park - Ayoubi presented himself to police and was charged. AFP acting Commander Kirsty Schofield said the investigation was another example of the AFP partnering with other countries to combat international drug syndicates.'We will continue to work closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to combat transnational crime and bring charges against those in this evil trade,' Act Comm Schofield said.

'This investigation demonstrates the power of intelligence sharing and inter-agency cooperation in striking at the heart of globally-connected criminal syndicates impacting Australia.'Ayoubi faced Central Local Court last Thursday and was refused bail, he is next due to appear in the same court on Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

CREDIT DAILY MAIL

A Nigerian national, 34-year-old Jackson Igwebuike was sentenced on 25 October 2017, after being found guilty by a jury of importing 8.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia.Igwebuike was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court to 10 and a half years imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of six and a half years—including the two years he had already served since his arrest.

A freight forward business received a notice in early October 2015 of a consignment from China addressed to ‘David Solomon’ with a delivery to a northern Canberra suburb. The consignment was described as ‘statues’. ‘David Solomon’ was a fictitious name created for the purpose of facilitating the importation. Using that name, Igwebuike sent the necessary documents and money required for the consignment to be released from customs and delivered to an address of his choosing.

The consignment had a large blue pallet containing three timber shipping crates. Within each of the shipping crates was a single plastic and plaster ornamental statue weighing approximately 20 kilograms each. One of the statues was a golden-coloured fish. 43 individual packages were secreted within the fish statue.

When the consignment arrived in Australia, the Australian Border Force discovered the presence of the secreted packages and alerted the Australian Federal Police. Subsequent forensic analysis revealed the 43 packages weighed 10.580kg and comprised of 80.1 % pure methamphetamine. The total pure weight of methamphetamine was calculated to be 8.5 kilograms. The street value was estimated at $10 million.The drugs were seized and ultimately substituted with an inert substance. Delivery proceeded to a vacant residential address in Kaleen as requested by ‘David Solomon’. Police covertly observed Igwebuike take possession of the consignment and intercepted his telephone conversations. Igwebuike broke open the fish statue, retrieved the 43 packages of methamphetamine and made arrangements to deliver it to a contact in Sydney. He was ultimately arrested as he attempted to board a bus from Canberra to Sydney with the drugs in a suitcase. He made no admissions to police.At trial, Igwebuike claimed he did not consider the possibility that the 43 packages contained a border controlled drug because he grew up in a small Nigerian town and had never been exposed to illicit drugs. He also claimed he and his wife in Nigeria were threatened with death by two unnamed men if he did not deliver the drugs as directed by them.Inherent in the jury’s verdict of guilty is a rejection of Igwebuike’s claim that he never considered the possibility that the consignment contained a border controlled drug. At sentence, Justice Penfold rejected Igwebuike’s version of the events involving the threat of death by two unnamed men.

Justice Penfold took into account the significant quantity of drugs involved in the matter and the “important and essential role” he played in the importation. Her Honour also considered the fact that Igwebuike arrived in Canberra on a student visa three months before he committed the offence. Her Honour found prison would be more onerous for him given his lack of family and friends in Australia and cultural differences to other prisoners. Her Honour also took into account the fact that he made a number of admissions of fact which shortened the length of the trial.

‘This case highlights the continued commitment and important work by our law enforcement agencies to detect illicit drugs and the CDPPs role in prosecuting offenders’, said Mark de Crespigny CDPP’s Deputy Director.

‘The result shows that significant terms of imprisonment will be imposed on those seeking to profit by importing narcotics’, added de Crespigny.

Igwebuike will be eligible for parole in 2022. He faces deportation upon his release.

CREDIT CDPP

135KG COCAINE BUST

A SYDNEY man was one of six people to face court yesterday charged over one of the largest cocaine importations in Australia's history.

More than 135kg of cocaine - with an estimated street value of $35 million - was allegedly imported into Australia from Canada, hidden in the back of 33 computer monitors.A total of 136 sealed packets of cocaine were allegedly discovered inside the monitors, along with 120,000 ecstasy tablets valued at $3.5 million.

A joint Australian Federal Police and Customs operation smashed the alleged drug ring after X-rays of a shipping container in Brisbane alerted officers to the shipment on September 8.David Shen, 62, of Darling Point, was the alleged recipient of the drugs.

He was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Shen, who police will seek to extradite to Queensland, refused to appear in the dock of Central Local Court when his case was mentioned yesterday.

Five other men, including Canadian father-of-three Dennis Paul Paddison, 29, appeared in court in Brisbane charged over the importation.

The group allegedly attempted to access the shipment - which police had substituted with an inert substance - at a Brisbane warehouse.

The court heard officers had tracked the movements of the men, arresting them before executing search warrants on four addresses in Brisbane.

Searches were also conducted on a property at Coolangatta and the Darling Point property linked to Shen.The cocaine seizure is believed to be the fifth-largest in Australia and the biggest since almost a tonne of the drug was discovered off the Western Australian coast in 2001.It is the second time in four months that a major importation of drugs from Canada has been thwarted by federal police and Customs.

In June, 1.2 million ecstasy tablets were found in a shipment which arrived in Melbourne, leading to the arrest of three Sydney men and a Victorian.

AFP spokesman Mike Phelan said the men arrested in the latest importation were part of a "highly sophisticated international drug importation and distribution network".

Mr Phelan, the AFP's border and international network manager, said it was "highly unusual" that two such large consignments of drugs would be imported from the same country in such a short period of time."The AFP is currently liaising with its law enforcement colleagues in Canada and conducting further inquiries in relation to this significant importation and the international syndicate allegedly responsible for it," he said.Shen made no application for bail and was remanded in custody until later this month, when Queensland police are expected to request his extradition to Brisbane.

CREDIT NEWS.COM

200KG OF ICE SEIZED

A Victorian father and son have been arrested in Melbourne and charged with importing more than 200 kilograms of "ice" through Brisbane.

The arrests follow a joint Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Customs operation that culminated with raids this week.

Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Thursday that the methamphetamine was imported in a trailer-truck that arrived in Brisbane and was then brought to Melbourne.

Commonwealth prosecutor David Bahlen told the court that Patrick Cini and his son Rhys Cini removed the "material" from the truck - an "inert" substance earlier substituted for the drug - which was found at premises in Port Melbourne.

Mr Bahlen asked magistrate Sarah Dawes to allow a 10-week extension for delivery of the brief of evidence, which would include "electronic material", surveillance footage and surveillance device material.Solicitor Anthony Brand, for Patrick Cini, 59, of Altona Meadows, noted that his client's wrists were swollen and bruised from an "enthusiastic" police handcuffing and that he needed medication for high blood pressure and to see a nurse.George Defteros, for Rhys Cini, 29, of Point Cook, told Ms Dawes that he knew little about the case, but that a bail application may be made before the remand date in January.Both men are charged with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine at Brisbane on September 27.They are also charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of the drug at Port Melbourne on October 3.The third man arrested, Rami Tawachi, 25, of Point Cook, also appeared before Ms Dawes, charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.Like his co-accused, he did not make an application for bail and was remanded to appear in January.

CREDIT THE AGE

Judgement

On 26 November 2013, you rented a Kennards storage unit in Maribyrnong. On 27 November 2013 you placed a number of boxes in that unit, some of which contained the drugs which are the subject of Charges 1-5.

22 On 4 February 2014 you placed another box in that unit containing drugs and cash, the subject of Charges 6 and 7.

23 The prosecution case is that the heroin, which is the subject of Charge 1, had been prepared at a Housing Commission flat in Holland Court, Flemington. That flat was rented in the name of Quoc Huy Nguyen’s partner, Loam Nguyen. She is the sister of the woman with whom you were in a relationship at the time of the offending, Ha Tran. CCTV depicted Quoc Huy Nguyen and others entering and leaving that Holland Court flat.

24 On 21 November 2013, he was arrested by police and was remanded in custody until 4 December 2013 when he was granted bail.

25 The following day, 22 November 2013, in the early hours of the morning, you unsuccessfully tried to enter in to that Holland Court flat. Later that day, you

entered the flat a number of times with Dat Nguyen, who is the father of Loam Nguyen, and removed certain items.

26 There is no evidence linking you to the Holland Court flat prior to the arrest of Quoc Huy Nguyen. The prosecution case is that his involvement ended on the day of his arrest, and that at that time you became involved.

27 After his arrest, the police searched the Holland Court flat. Evidence was given as to the observations made inside that flat, and photographs were tendered. It is clear that the premises were not used for purposes other than for preparation of drugs. A hydraulic compression press and jacks were located in the Holland Court flat. The press was tested by a tool mark examiner Sergeant Olinder of the Australian Federal Police. He gave evidence that some of the heroin which is the subject of Charge 1, which was in the form of discs and fragmented discs, had been compressed by that hydraulic press.

28 On 27 November 2013, you left Melbourne and travelled to Vietnam. On 4 February 2014, you returned to Melbourne. On that day you placed the box containing the drugs and cash, which are the subject of Charges 6 and 7 into the Kennards storage unit.

29 On 16 December 2013, investigators first entered the storage unit at Kennards and took control of the contents of that storage unit. The drugs of dependence and controlled drugs were replaced with inert substances to resemble the drugs, and the contents of the boxes located in the storage unit were replaced in the same order as they were located, so as to not cause any suspicion when you returned. The investigators included members of the Victoria Police, Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police.

The offences

30 The offending is in relation to serious offences committed in serious circumstances, in particular the quantities of drugs in Charges 1, 2 and 6.

31 I take into account the provisions in the Sentencing Act (Vic) as to Charges 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and the provisions of the Crimes Act 1914 (C’lth) as to Charge 2. I also take into account the common law.

32 The maximum penalty for each offence reflects the seriousness of these offences, as I stated, in particular Charges 1, 2 and 6.

33 In the circumstances, I must give a significant amount of weight to general deterrence, protection of the community, specific deterrence, just punishment and denunciation. I also must take into account matters of rehabilitation. General deterrence is an important sentencing factor in this case, as I, a sentencing judge, must send a message to other like-minded people in the community that involvement in trafficking in drugs of dependence or controlled drugs may seem an easy way to profit.

34 As to Charges 1, 2 and 6, the trafficking was in relation to a large commercial quantity and a commercial quantity. The use of drugs of dependence and controlled drugs often results in an escalation of crime as people who are desperate to have these drugs often commit further crimes.

35 In a decision of R v Dawid [2013] VSCA 64, Kaye AJA said this:

“The nature and pervasive extent of drug trafficking of the type engaged in by the applicant is such that, on sentencing, the principles of general deterrence and denunciation assume substantial prominence. It is the large profits, which can be gained from trafficking in drugs that attracts people, such as the applicant, to engage in the type of offending for which the applicant was sentenced. It is important that persons like the applicant, who contemplate embarking on such an enterprise, do so in the clear knowledge that, if detected, they will be sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment.”

36 In Barbaro v Zirilli [2012] 288, the Court of Appeal of Victoria endorsed the sentencing judge’s remarks in that case as to the seriousness of the offending, in which it was upheld a life sentence for the Commonwealth offence of conspiracy to traffic in a commercial quantity of MDMA. The sentencing judge in that case said this:

The community will not tolerate, and the courts will reflect that, massive commercial exploitation of the younger members of our community to enable you or others like you to accumulate vast amounts of money.”

37 The sentencing judge went on to say this:

“This is what is referred to as organised crime. It has international links, it is professional, it is contemptuous of our police, our laws and our society, and it cannot and will not be tolerated by our society, as demonstrated by Parliament or the courts. It merits punishment appropriate to the level of criminality and demonstrated attitude to this society by those involved in this very cynical money making exercise.”

38 The impact of trafficking, in particular, in amphetamine-based drugs, has been referred to in the decision of the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal, R v Kalache [2000] 111 A Crim R 152. His Honour Hulme J said at p.192:

“However, it is not inappropriate to observe that no long experience in the courts or other areas of society is needed to become aware both of the grave harm that amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis do to the minds and lives of many who use them, and of the consequential damage that such users then inflict on the rest of society, either in obtaining the funds to feed their habits or in consequence of the irrational or anti-social behaviour which such drugs can induce.”

39 Further, I take into account that it is difficult for investigators to investigate offences such as trafficking in drugs of dependence or controlled drugs, as those who are involved, particularly those who purchase these drugs, are willing participants, and do not initiate an investigation by making a complaint to the police. Consequently, law enforcement agencies have to rely on investigative techniques, requiring police to use tools such as surveillance, by police and by electronic means and, on some occasions, listening devices.

40 The material provides that you were not a user of a drug of dependence or a controlled drug. In the circumstances, as you have pleaded not guilty, I do not have an explanation for your offending. I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt on the material before me, your involvement was a business venture, the motive

being profit. It clearly was not for personal use and could not be, given the quantities.

41 Your involvement was part of an organised criminal enterprise, including Quoc Huy Nguyen and very likely, other people. The quantities were enormous and the stakes were therefore high. The estimated value of the drugs was substantial.

42 The offending involved substantial quantities of drugs of dependence and controlled drugs. The offending was carried out in a planned and careful way. The value of the drugs, in particular in Charges 1, 2 and 6, meant you were playing for very high stakes. In the circumstances, condign punishment is called for.

43 I must sentence you as a serious drug offender in relation to Charge 6, as I have stated.

44 I accept the submission made on your behalf by Mr Patton, that there is no evidence or suggestion of enrichment from the offending. I accept you had no significant material assets in your name, or that you had exclusive possession of the items in the Kennards storage unit. The prosecution sought a direction during the trial that you may be found guilty as being not only in sole possession, but also if the jury found that you were in joint possession.

45 I also accept that there is no evidence of your involvement in any other way in relation to the subject of the Indictment, other than as alleged, namely, removing items from the Holland Court flat, organising the Kennards storage unit for hire, taking boxes to that unit in relation to Charges 1-5 inclusive into the unit, and later the following year, returning to the unit leaving the box containing the drugs and cash, the subject of Charges 6 and 7.

52 I accept the submission made on your behalf by Mr Patton that the prior convictions in relation to heroin are of some age, 1999 and 2001, and the dispositions imposed reflect the offending was at a low level for sentencing purposes. Nevertheless, those convictions are relevant.

53 I take into account in your favour that there has been a delay, not of your making. On two occasions a jury was discharged without verdict, and since the jury was discharged without verdict 12 months ago, this matter has been hanging over your head. I also accept that you have been anxious as a result of that. You were arrested in February 2014, thus you will be sentenced around two and a half years later.

54 As you pleaded not guilty, there is no evidence of remorse. However, as the trial judge, I have noticed that through your counsel, Mr Patton, you have conducted yourself in a cooperative way, and I accept Mr Patton’s submission that evidence was agreed to be read into the evidence of the trial, rather than calling witnesses, cross-examination of witnesses was solely directed to the issues, a number of matters could have been in issue and they were not, and there was no dispute that the Crown tendered many items through the informant. This saved the court the time and inconvenience of calling more witnesses, and also the cost of that.

55 The offending was carried out, as I stated, in a well-planned manner, and involved at least one other person. As to the offending, I sentence you on the basis I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt how many people were involved, and where you were in the hierarchy of those who were involved. It is plausible that there were others involved and I accept the submission of Mr Patton that it is likely you are not the person in charge of the criminal enterprise. You were relatively easily identified, as you personally attended at the Holland Court flat, hired the storage unit at Kennards, provided your name and some details to Kennards storage, and you were the person driving into Kennards storage on each occasion.

56 However, although I sentence you on the basis that I am not satisfied, beyond reasonable doubt, that you were a person at the top level of the criminal enterprise, I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that you were in a position of enormous trust, as you had in your possession a large quantity of drugs which were very valuable. I infer that you are, therefore, not in the lower end of the organised criminal enterprise, but a man considered trustworthy. In those circumstances, I sentence you on the basis that your role was in the middle level of the hierarchy of this organised criminal enterprise.

57 As to the Commonwealth charge, Charge 2 on the Indictment, I must apply the relevant provisions of s.16A of the Crimes Act. (Cth). I take into account the nature and circumstances of the offence. I have annexed the prosecution opening, as the contents are comprehensive, and I have taken into account the contents of that document, as well as the evidence of the trial. I have taken into account the contents of your criminal history.

58 I have taken into account s.16A(2)(c), which states, “if the offence forms part of a course of conduct consisting of a series of criminal acts of the same or similar character”. The conduct in relation to Charges 6 and 7 is a continuing course of conduct in Charges 1-5. Therefore I sentence you on the basis of the charges

being a continuing course of conduct. Charge 6 and 7 came about after your return from Vietnam, when you added the heroin and the cash.

59 As to s.16(A)(j) and (ja), I have given weight to both general deterrence and specific deterrence. In relation to Charge 2 and each of the state offences, general deterrence must be given a significant amount of weight, as I have stated. General deterrence and protection of the community are two important sentencing factors, as well as denunciation. I have also given weight to specific deterrence. I must take into account the need to ensure that you are adequately punished, and I have given weight to just punishment, as well as, as I stated, denunciation of your conduct.

60 As to s.16A(m), your character, antecedence, age, means, physical and mental condition, I take into account that you are still a mature man with a relatively minor criminal history who presents as an otherwise responsible person. As to your rehabilitation prospects, although you pleaded not guilty, you are now in a stable relationship. I consider your rehabilitation prospects good. I take into account, as I have stated, that you conducted yourself in a very cooperative and courteous manner throughout the trial, showing respect for the court.

61 As to s.16A(2)(p), “the probable effect that any sentence or order under consideration would have on any of the person's family or dependants”, in relation to Charge 2, I take into account that you have recently married, you have a very young child, and your wife is currently expecting your second child. It is probable that your wife will be enormously affected by the sentence of imprisonment, which will not be insubstantial given the offending.

62 As to the State charges, I take into account that you will be more anxious when in prison about your wife and children than a person who does not have dependents. I also take into account that you will also be concerned as your wife will be relatively isolated given the fact that she is from another country, and she is not a fluent English speaker.As to the offences overall, it has not been submitted that there is hardship, and there is not as a matter of law. But as I have just said, I take the matters in your favour into account as to your concern for your wife and children, in particular the one who is yet to be born. I take into account that your time in prison will be more difficult for you, as you are a person who has not served a term of imprisonment before.

64 As I have stated, I consider your chances of rehabilitation to be cautiously optimistic, and as I said earlier, good. As to your history and conduct overall, I consider your chances of rehabilitation good, however I am cautiously optimistic because of the large quantity of drugs.

65 You gave evidence, and you present as an intelligent man. You have the responsibility of a family, and I consider that is a positive matter in your rehabilitation. Your references describe you as a responsible and hardworking person, and I sentence you on that basis. I also consider it is relevant that you have no trappings of enrichment, so it is not the situation that you have clearly had the financial benefits from dealing in drugs, and has not been alleged.

Orders for partial cumulation

66 As to the State offences, I intend to sentence you on Charge 1 as the base sentence. Taking into account the principle of totality, it is appropriate to order partial cumulation on the sentence imposed on Charge 2, which is the Commonwealth offence, however I am using language used in relation to Victorian sentencing, as I cannot impose cumulation in the same way in relation to Commonwealth offences. I do not intend to order cumulation as to Charges 3, 4 and 5, as I accept Mr Patton's submission that those offences are part of the same incident as Charges 1 and 2. I intend to order partial cumulation as to Charge 6, as not only are you a serious drug offender for that charge, but that offence occurred on a separate occasion in February 2014.

As to Charge 1, as to the sentencing principle of parity, the co-offender was Quoc Huy Nguyen. I accept that as to Charge 1, your position differs from his. Although your involvement was in relation to vast quantities of drugs in relation to Charges 2 and 6, Quoc Huy Nguyen had a prior conviction for trafficking in heroin in a substantial amount, which would now be a commercial quantity. Consequently, I will sentence you to a lesser term of imprisonment for Charge 1, as I have given less weight to specific deterrence.

68 I take into account the relevant sentencing principles, as I have said, common law, the Victorian Sentencing Act, and the Crimes Act (C’lth), as well as current sentencing practices where applicable for similar offending. I therefore sentence you as follows, if you could stand up, Mr Nguyen, while I sentence you, sir.

69 Charge 1, you are convicted and sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment.

70 Charge 2, you are convicted and sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment.

71 Charges 3, 4 and 5, as to each charge, you are convicted and sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

72 Charge 6 you are convicted and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.

73 Charge 7, you are convicted and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

74 I make the following orders:

75 I order that two years of Charge 6 be cumulative with Charge 1.

76 I order that the sentenced imposed on Charge 2 commence three years from today's date.

77 I order that the total sentence imposed on both Commonwealth and State, taking into account cumulation - wait a second, let me get this right. I think I have made an error Madam Associate?

I have missed - yes, sorry, the Federal - Charge 2- sit down, Mr Nguyen, I am sorry about this, this is so complicated.

79 The Federal sentence starts today, that is quite right. The State sentence commences three years from today.

80 Now, the non-parole period will commence today, less the presentence detention. Excuse me, Madam Associate, is that correct? Sixteen years, is it not?

81 Look, just so I make it clear, it is 16 years in total. And I order a non-parole period of 12 years.

82 Now, that is - putting it together, but basically I will say it again, that I order that two years of Charge 6 be cumulative with Charge 1, the - sorry, I thought I checked this, and obviously it has not been checked - the Federal sentence is commence today, that is, 19 October.

83 The State sentence is to commence three years from today.

84 The non-parole period will commence today.

85 Now that, taking into account Tognolini, it is rather unusual to set the State offences commencing on a day other than the day of sentence, but it makes it far more efficient in relation to the orders. So if everyone understands that? I have checked with central records, otherwise it is unworkable.

86 The sentence on Charge 2 commences today. As to the cumulation, of three years on Charge 2, in three years, the State offences start, 19 October 2019, and it is on that day the non-parole period will commence. I said it incorrectly. I have read this so many times that I have confused myself.

87 So today, Charge 2 starts. That is 11 years. In three years, the State offences starts, and that is 19 October 2019. I always put in three years, because there could well be emergency management days. So in three years, the State

sentence commences and the non-parole period will commence on 19 October 2019.

88 The presentence detention is 369 days.

Both men are connected to a single stash of 4.812 kilograms of heroin that Federal police covertly discovered within a Kennards storage unit at Maribynong on 16 December 2013. They are connected to that 4.412 kilograms of heroin in different ways, and at different periods.

3. That particular 4.812 kg heroin stash was discovered in the Kennards storage unit along with the other drugs listed earlier, such as the 4.475.5 kg of MDMC, 39.3 grams of Ephedrine, 34.8 grams of Cocaine, and 29.5 grams of Methylamphetamine. All of the drugs and substances found in the storage unit were secretly removed and replaced by Federal Police with inert substances in the original packing and boxes.

4. A distinguishing feature of the 4.812 kilograms heroin mix was that more than half of it was in the form of complete or fragmented compressed disks. Six complete heroin disks 119.5mm in diameter and between 25 to 26mm high and weighing around 350 grams each were discovered within heat-sealed vacuum packets. Other bags contained fragments of broken heroin disks, some of which were of very slightly smaller diameter. The remaining heroin was in the form of crumbled disk fragments and chunks down to fragments of smaller and smaller size down to powder consistency.

5. That a lot of the heroin was in the form of compressed disks enabled those intact disks and bigger disk fragments to be compared with a mechanical press that had been seized by Victorian Police from a Housing Commission flat in Holland Court Flemington back on 21 November 2013 (some 25 days beforehand). A forensic comparison of the heroin disks and the mechanical press (the “heroin press”) established that the heroin disks had been compressed in that very same press.

Background

6. The discovery of the heroin press on 21 December 2013 occurred after Quoc NGUYEN had walked into another Housing Commission flat over in Elizabeth Street Richmond an hour of so earlier as police were searching that Richmond flat in relation to a separate investigation into another person. That Richmond flat was not occupied by Quoc but the fact that he had walked in resulted in him being detained. He was searched and found to be carrying 4 phones, an amount of cash, plus some house keys.

7. Quoc NGUYEN was transported by Victoria Police members to the Holland Court Housing Commission flats and a key that had been taken from him was found to open the front door of flat 93/12 Holland Court.

8. Police found that the flat was virtually unfurnished, having only a single uncovered mattress on the floor and a single office-type chair. The heroin press and 2 hydraulic car

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jacks and some “dies” and other steel parts compatible with the press, were found as was 11.2 grams of heroin in a kitchen cupboard. A white Sunbeam brand vacuum heat sealing machine was photographed on the kitchen bench, and a distinctive blue and white patterned shopping bag was also photographed. Police then seized the press, jacks dies and equipment, but didn’t take the heat seal machine or the blue and white patterned bag. As they left the flat they left a copy of a search warrant on the kitchen benchtop to alert anyone subsequently coming in that there had been a police search.

9. Quoc NGUYEN was then kept detained by Victorian Police from that time onward, but asked to and was permitted to contact his family shortly after his arrest to tell them he was in custody. He was ultimately bailed on 4 December 2103, having spent the period 21 November through to 4 December in custody.

Video evidence relating to the Holland Court flat

10. Investigators obtained video camera recordings from a camera that had a view of flat 93/12 Holland and reviewed the imagery to see what activity had been occurring there both before and after 21 November.

11. Video footage was isolated that showed Quoc NGUYEN attending the flat on 16, 17 and 20 November, each time entering with a key he had with him, and sometimes letting other males into the flat. The imagery showed that he spent quite lengthy periods inside the flat on 16 and 17 November and a short time on the morning of 20 November.

12. The specifics are:

i. About 3.10pm on 16 November 2013, Quoc used a key to unlock the door to the unit and entered;

ii. Between 4.01pm and 4.22pm, two males attended the unit, were let in by Quoc, and then left a short time later;

iii. About 4.38pm, Quoc left the unit and appeared to lock the door behind him;

iv. At about, 2.39pm on 17 November 2013, Quoc used a key to unlock the door to the unit and entered the flat;

v. Between 2.44pm and 3.49pm, one male attended the unit and was allowed in by Quoc. The male then left a short time later. This male returned with another male and both entered the unit, the second male left a short time later, followed by the first;

vi. About 3.57pm, Quoc left the unit and appeared to lock the door behind him;

vii. About 8.28am on 20 November 2013, Quoc used a key to unlock the door to the unit and went inside;

viii. About 8.36am, one male attended the unit and was allowed in by Quoc then left a short time later; and

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ix. About 8.41am, Quoc left the unit and appeared to lock the door behind him.

12. Quoc was clearly controlling the flat and was therefore an “occupier”. That he was spending time at that flat which had nothing much else inside other than equipment for pressing heroin results in the prosecution contending that Quoc was inside either compressing or packaging heroin using the vacuum heat sealing machine.

Duc NGUYEN’s connection with the Holland Court flat discovered

13. Federal Police investigators obtained the Holland Court video imagery and reviewed it covering the period 21 November through to 27 November 2013.

14. They discovered:

i. at 3.06am on 22 November 2013, Duc Nguyen attended 93/12 Holland Court, Flemington accompanied by his partner, Thi Thanh Ha Tran and unsuccessfully attempted to enter the flat1. Duc and Ms Tran left a short time later;

ii. at 9.23am on 22 November 2013, Duc returned to 93/12 Holland Court and went inside alone2. About 9.39am, Duc left the flat carrying a black with white text re-usable shopping bag and a white with various shades of blue re-usable shopping bag3. Both these

bags appeared to contain items;

iii at 9.43am, Duc returned to the flat with a shopping trolley. About 9.49am, another male also attended 93/12 Holland Court and entered the flat; and

iv between 9.51am and 10.20am, Duc and the male removed a number of items from the flat, some by using the shopping trolley. These items included a shopping bag with a distinctive blue and

white pattern, a black shopping bag with handles, a small dark

square box, a large white rectangular box , a 2nd large rectangular box, what appeared to be a green plastic bowl, a clear plastic tub and a white plastic bottle.

15. The prosecution contends that Quoc NGUYEN’s arrest and notification to his family has given rise to Duc NGUYEN’s attendance at the flat only hours later, at the unusual time of 3.20am.

16. When Duc NGUYEN re-attended the flat at 9.23am the prosecution contends that he would have seen the copy search warrant. He then began clearing out a number of items from the flat, but significantly did not remove all things from the flat because the mattress, chair and a long wooden object on the floor of a bedroom didn’t come out. He therefore selectively removed items rather than everything.

1 Hand Up Brief images folder page 349 (see generally deps 1094 - 1154 for images) 2 HUB images folder page 350

3 HUB images folder pages 355 and 356

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17. Given that it is now known that the heroin press that was seized by Victorian Police from the flat on 21 November had been used to press heroin disks discovered at Kennards Maribynong on 16 December, and that the flat was so sparsely furnished as to only be a heroin pressing location, and that Quoc had been spending quite lengthy periods inside that flat in the days leading up to 21 November 2103, the prosecution contends that this combination of circumstances gives rise a very strong hypothesis that Quoc was pressing and sealing heroin disks and packets in the Holland Court flat.

18. Further, the prosecution contends that Duc NGUYEN’s attendances at the Holland Court flat so soon after Quoc’s arrest strongly suggest that he wanted to remove or recover something of value to him out of that flat.

19. A high likelihood exists that the heroin disks or some heroin disks or disk fragments were not discovered by the Victorian Police, or that Duc NGUYEN was wanting to remove the heroin press, only to discover it already taken by police. This likelihood gives rise to the start date for Duc’s charge 1 being particularized as from 21 November 2013, although it is emphasized that charge 1 relates to the heroin found at the Kennards Unit on 16 December 2013. The end date for that charge is the day before he was ultimately arrested on 6 February 2014. Evidence will show that Duc removed the white Sunbeam vacuum heat seal machine from the kitchen bench, and that that particular heat seal machine had definitely been used to seal the packets containing the heroin disks as well as other packets.

Duc NGUYEN’s connection to the Kennards Storage Unit

19. Investigations discovered that Duc NGUYEN had, on Tuesday 26 November 2013 (while Quoc NGUYEN was still in custody) opened up an account at Kennards Storage 151 Raleigh Road Maribyrnong (deps 1051).

20. He was allocated Storage Unit 3017. He nominated Quoc Nguyen, Dat Nguyen and H Tran as persons also authorised to access the unit.

21. To gain access to the storage unit, customers are allocated a unique PIN and are also required to furnish their own padlock as added security.

22. Security video imagery is available from Kennards Storage.

23. Video imagery from between 5 and 6pm on 26 November 2013 shows Duc

NGUYEN initially attending at the Kennards Office wearing an orange short-sleeved t-shirt type top. Some time later the video imagery shows him walking out of the Kennards Office with what looks to be a ready made-up box plus another flat-packed carton. The reflection in a nearby window shows a silver Honda legend 4 door sedan reversing out of the shop area car park.

24. Further segments of video imagery show the silver Honda Legend driving into the main storage complex and pulling up near Unit 3017. A Kennards staff member is seen to direct Duc to where the storage unit is, and the staff member leaves. Duc is then seen to very briefly go to the storage unit and then then drive off almost immediately after.

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25. Later that same evening, at about 8.20pm Duc NGUYEN returned in the Honda Legend sedan, by himself, and can be seen on the video unloading items from the boot of the car and possibly from the back seat as well, on to a trolley that he wheeled around the corner out of sight toward the storage unit 3017. He then drove out after about 20 minutes.

Duc leaves Melbourne for Vietnam on 27 November 2013

26. The next day, 27 November 2013, Duc departed Australia on Vietnam Airline flight 780 bound for Vietnam. He did not return until just over 2 months later, on Monday 4 February 2014.

Investigators enter Storage Unit 3017 on Monday 16 December 2013

27. As stated earlier, on Monday 16 December 2013 investigators searched storage unit 3017, locating a number of boxes inside. Within these boxes, police investigators located a large quantity of illicit substances and associated items (see photographs at deps 243 - 366).

28. The items within the storage unit on 16 December were:

(a) One white ‘Bose’ single-lift-lid box with a number 1 in a small blue square on the box lid. Inside was found a stainless Steel ‘Sunbeam Food Saver VAC780’ vacuum bag sealing machine4 as well as a small steel machined “die” and 2 small rectangular pieces of steel;

(b) One “Tiger” brand shopping bag that contained a roll of masking tape and a Spirax “To Do” notebook and also a “Sunbeam” vacuum food sealer carton inside of which was a hydraulic car jack and a portion of “egg-carton-type” packing in which was found 2 Blackberry phones within a clear zip lock plastic bag;

(c) One medium-sized Kennards packing carton inside which had been found a “Country Road’ brand camouflage patterned duffle bag, which in turn had inside it 3 silver packets of filler type substance, and 3 clear plastic bags of crystalline substance, plus one sandwich type bag that contained a further bag of 224 grams of a filler type substance;

(d) One larger sized Kennards storage box within which was found a variety of plastic bags, as well as a blue and white distinctively patterned “Howards Storage World” bag as well as a Vintage Cellars black wine bottle sized carry bag, each of these shopping-type bags containing empty sealer type bags, sandwich bags, and other assorted items;

4 HUB exhibit reference 25, images brief page 251 and 252

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(e) a plain cardboard carton with some Asian characters written on the outside, inside which was found a “Luois Vuitton” cloth sack- type bag containing a plastic bag containing a chunky powdery substance. Underneath that sack bag were found other plastic bags containing either complete compressed disks of heroin or disk portions of fragments, plus other plastic bags containing even smaller zip lock or click lock bags containing white or yellow powdery substances;

(f) a white Styrofoam box containing a number of items including food saver bags, facemasks, and a ceramic cup with white powder caked inside the bottom of the cup as well as a zip lock bag containing more of a similar substance in powder crystalline form; and

(g) an empty food saver machine box.

FORENSIC EXAMINATION RESULTS The Brown Cardboard Carton with Asian characters on it

29. In the brown cardboard carton with some Asian characters on the outside (originally fond in the rear right corner of the storage unit on top of the white Styrofoam box) the following drugs were found:

(a). 4,812.7 grams of heroin in a mixed substance in the form of compressed disks or disk fragments or in the form of smaller chunks and fragments together with powder, granular or chunk forms of the same substance in other bags;

(b). 39.3 grams of Ephedrine (pure);

(c). 34.8 grams of Cocaine mix; and

(d) a couple of very small quantities of MDMC.

30. 2 fingerprints belonging to Quoc Nguyen were discovered on the outside of a “Hercules” brand food saver bag within which a further plastic bag containing heroin from within the plain cardboard carton.

The Medium-Size Kennards Carton

31. Within the medium-sized Kennards carton was found a “Country Road” brand camouflage duffle bag inside which was found 3 silver packets that contained a filler substance used for the “cutting” of drugs, together with 3 clear plastic bags that contained the vast majority of all the MDMC found within the storage unit:

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(a) the total of all MDMC within the storage unit was 4,475.5 grams of pure 3/4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone ("MDMC");

32. Also deep within the Country Road duffle bag was found a sandwich size zip lock or clip seal clear plastic bag that contained a freezer bag containing 224 grams of a ‘filler type substance used for cutting drugs’.

33. On the freezer bag within the sandwich bag was found a single fingerprint belonging to Duc Nguyen.

34. The filler type substance in the freezer bag was mostly of the same type as found in the 3 silver packets in the duffle bag, as well as being one of the cutting substances found to be mixed in with the MDMC and the heroin.

The Larger Kennards Carton

35. Examination of the variety of items from within the larger Kennards carton revealed 15 fingerprints that came from Duc NGUYEN and 15 fingerprints that came from Quoc NGUYEN on various items such as an envelope, an ANZ bank deposit envelope, various plastic bags, freezer bags or zip lock bags.

36. Also from within the blue and white patterned “Howards Storage World” shopping bag in the larger Kennards carton came a white Sunbeam Food Saver VAC440’ vacuum bag sealing machine5. Forensic testing established that this particular heat seal machine had been used to seal the vacuum packed heroin disks as well as several of the other heat- sealed packets containing heroin found in the plain carton with Asian characters.

37. Also found in the larger Kennards carton was a black “Vintage Cellars” carry bag highly consistent with a bag that Duc NGUYEN was seen carrying out of the Holland Court flat on 22 November 2013.

The Styrofoam Carton

38. Apart from the other items discovered within the foam box, analysis of the ceramic cup found within the foam box established that the substance in the cup and bag inside the cup was:

(a). 29.5 grams of Methylamphetamine mix. The ‘Bose’ Box

39. No drugs were found within the Bose box apart from a trace sample of heroin found within the stainless steel ‘Sunbeam’ Food saver vacuum sealer.

40. Fingerprint examination of the stainless steel food sealer revealed 15 fingerprints from Quoc NGUYEN, 13 on the base, 1 from the inside and 1 on the top.

5 HUB exhibit reference 21, images brief page 203, 204, 227 and 228

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41. The ‘Bose” box also contained a small diameter machined steel “die” and 2 steel bars that appear to be within the same class of dies and bars as were seized by Victorian Police from the Holland Court flat on 21 November 2013.

The “Tiger” Brand shopping bag

42. Within the Tiger brand bag was found a hydraulic car or bottle jack of the same general type to the 2 seized from the Holland Court flat on 21 November 2013, and the prosecution contends that all 3 of these jacks because of the particular contexts within which they were found were all used, or intended to be used, for compressing heroin.

43. Also found within the ‘Tiger” brand shopping bag were 2 Blackberry phones in a zip lock bag, plus a “Spirax To Do’ spiral bound notebook with columns of figures on a number of the pages.

44. Also located was an Electricity Australia Electricity Account Tax Invoice dated 24 October 2013 addressed to Quoc NGUYEN6.

Substitution of drugs and re-installation of items back into storage unit 3017

45. Between 16 and 18 December 2013 the drugs were removed from the items from the storage unit and inert substances were substituted. The boxes and cartons were then re-packed and transported back to Kennards, carefully placed back into storage unit 3017 and re-placed in their original positions in such a way as to make it look as though the items had never been disturbed.

The fitting of Federal Police covert surveillance cameras near and above the storage unit

46. 3 covert video surveillance cameras were fitted near and above the storage unit for the purpose of monitoring any subsequent attendances and activity concerning the unit.

Duc arrives back in Australia on 4 February 2014

47. At about 10.00am on Tuesday 4 February 2014, Duc returned to Melbourne from Vietnam on Vietnam Airlines flight 781. About 11.05am, Duc cleared Customs then caught a Silvertop Taxi bearing registration number M4785 from Melbourne Airport to 28 Roxburgh Street, Ascot Vale7.

48. As Duc passed through Melbourne Airport Customs and travelled in the Silvertop Taxi bearing registration number M4785, he was captured by a number of CCTV cameras - see Customs images at deps 1053 - 1056 and Taxi images at deps 032 - 1036.

49. Duc was wearing a distinctive dark blue coloured short sleeve collared polo shirt with ‘USA’ printed on the front and smaller ‘Polo’ motifs on the left breast, and thick wide white striped across the shoulders and down the outside of the sleeve8.

6 HUB see brief reference 91, pages 347-348, images brief page 212, 213, 264, 265 and 266 7 see HUB brief reference 74, pages 317-318, images brief pages 270-275

8 exhibit reference 62, images brief pages 177, 178, 126, 127, 270-275

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50. About 12.00pm on Tuesday 4 February 2014, Duc was picked up on Surveillance Device footage arriving outside storage unit 3017, Kennard’s Self Storage, 151 Raleigh Road, Maribyrnong, Victoria 3032.

51. Duc had arrived alone in Victorian Registered vehicle ZTD251, a black 2013 Lexus IS350 sedan which is registered to Ai Ngoc TANG.

52. Duc was wearing the same distinctive polo shirt as described above that he was wearing earlier that day when he passed through Customs at Melbourne Airport9 and that he was wearing as he travelled in the Silvertop Taxi bearing registration number M4785.

53. Duc entered storage unit 3017 and began searching through a number of the items. The prosecution contends:

(a) that he initially stooped over the Bose box and may have looked briefly inside;

(b) that he slid the medium sized carton back toward the door;

(d) that he retrieved the brown cardboard carton with Asian characters on it from the rear right corner of the storage unit and concentrated most of his attention on to that. The prosecution contends that Duc NGUYEN then transferred the (Federal Police substituted) contents of the brown cardboard carton with Asian characters over into the foam box, then placed the lid back on the foam box and then placed the now empty brown cardboard carton with Asian characters back on to the foam box;

(e) that he then turned his attention back toward the general area where the Tiger brand bag was and retrieved 2 Blackberry phones;

(f) he then briefly turned back toward the plain carton and tipped it over on to its side;

(g) he then slid the medium-sized Kennards carton back into position;

(h) he then left with the 2 Blackberry phones and locked the unit back

up.

54. About 11.30pm on Tuesday 4 February 2014, Duc was again observed on Surveillance Device footage arriving outside storage unit 3017, Kennard’s Self Storage, 151 Raleigh Road, Maribyrnong, Victoria 3032. This time, he arrived in a black 2008 Honda Civic sedan, registered WTN 391. This car is registered to Duc's partner, Thi Thanh TRAN at 28 Roxburgh Street, Ascot Vale10.

9 exhibit reference 62, images brief pages 177, 178, 126, 127, 270-275

10 see brief reference 89, pages 341, images brief pages 179, 180 and 181

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55. Duc was observed getting out of the sedan and removing a large rectangular black coloured box from the vehicle, which he carried into storage unit 3017. This will be called the “Monster Sweeper” box in the trial.

56. Duc was observed on the footage entering the storage unit, placing the box on the substituted consignment inside the unit then departing in the same vehicle.

Kennards Storage Unit 3017 secretly re-examined by investigators Wednesday 5 February 2014

57. At about 3.55pm on Wednesday 5 February 2014, investigators re-attended storage unit 3017 and specifically looked at the new large rectangular black coloured box Duc had placed within storage unit 3017. Within that box investigators located and seized $169,900.00 suspected of being the proceeds of crime and a fresh stash of 524.8 grams of heroin11.

Duc Nguyen arrested on Thursday 6 February 2014

58. At about 2.20pm on Thursday 6 February 2014, investigators attended 28 Roxburgh Street, Ascot Vale, Victoria. Duc was arrested at the residence.

59. Investigators seized exhibits including12:

i. the two BlackBerry mobile phones uniquely identified by International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, which Duc had removed from Storage Unit 3017;

ii. a set of Honda keys with another key attached which opened the padlock that secured the door to storage unit 3017; and

iii. $5,750.00 of assorted Australian banknotes.

60. Within Duc's wallet, investigators located:

i an Australia Post Key Pass Identity Card number 068728, in the name Duc Hai Koyaki NGUYEN, born 1 June 1970 of 14 Park

Street, Abbotsford 306713. (Images were taken of this item, however

it was not seized).

61. On a table investigators observed a small spiral bound notebook, together with 2 pages that appear to have been torn out of a spiral-bound “To Do” notebook, each of the pages bearing the same “To Do” as is seen on each of the pages from the “To Do’ notebook found within the “Tiger” bag from within storage unit 3017. These 2 pages have hand-written columns of figures on them, again consistent with the hand-written entries on a number of the pages from the ‘To Do” notebook found within storage unit 3017.

Prosecution Contentions - Duc NGUYEN

11 see brief reference 93 and 94, pages 355 and 356, images brief pages 186-188 12 see HUB brief reference 96, pages 358-360, images brief reference 204

13 see HUB brief reference 90, pages 342-346, images brief 163 and 164

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62. The prosecution’s contentions about Duc NGUYEN are:

(a) that notification of Quoc NGUYEN’s arrest has precipitated Duc NGUYEN’s 9.03am attendance at flat 93/12 Holland Court where his entry attempt was unsuccessful most likely due to not having the right key;

(b) that this visit occurred so soon after Quoc’s arrest and at such an unusual hour that the prosecution contends that Duc NGUYEN must have been wanting to remove items of value to him from within the flat, such as heroin that had not been discovered by Victoria Police and/or the heroin pressing and heat sealing equipment;

(c) that Duc NGUYEN then re-attended with the right key at 9.23am later that morning and succeeded in entering the flat. The prosecution contends that Duc NGUYEN would have seen the Victoria Police search warrant at least to the extent of being aware that police had searched the flat and seized items;

(d) that Duc NGUYEN then gathered up any heroin remaining hidden in the flat and the gathered together the remnants of the heroin pressing and sealing equipment left by Victoria Police such as the white Sunbeam heat seal machine, bowls, tubs, bags and some mats or carpet squares;

(e) that Duc NGUYEN then transported the items he removed from the Holland Court flat to an unknown location where he kept them for a number of days;

(f) that Duc NGUYEN then rented Kennards Storage Unit 3017 on 26 November 2013 in the late afternoon buying at least one flat-pack carton and a Kennards archive type box at the same time and that although shown where the unit was by a Kennards staff member, he did not place anything into the unit at that time;

(g) that in the days and hours leading up to Duc NGUYEN re-attending Kennards at 8.20pm on 26 November 2013 Duc NGUYEN set about packing drugs and drug-related items into the cartons and boxes, and that in doing so:

(i) as he was packing the medium size Kennards carton with the “Country Road” camouflage duffle bag and packing substancesintothatduffle bag his left middle finger has come into contact with a freezer bag containing a filler substance of a type also found in the 3 silver packets of

filler, the 3 larger clear plastic bags of MDMC also in the duffle bag, and also found as one of the fillers in the heroin from the plain cardboard carton with Asian characters on it.

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(ii) that 15 of Duc NGUYEN’s fingerprints were deposited onto various bags and items that were all ultimately packed into

the large Kennards carton, together with the Howards

Storage Bag and Vintage Cellars bag he had removed from

the Holland Court flat and that inside one bag was the Sunbeam Heat Sealer machine he had removed from the Holland Court flat, and that that machine is conclusively linked to having sealed heroin packets earlier than 21 November 2013.

(iii) that Duc NGUYEN packed the stainless steel heat seal machine that had come from an unknown location and placed it into the Bose box together with a “die” and 2 rectangular metal bars that are consistent with the same

types of dies and rectangular bars seized by Victoria Police from Holland Court on 21 November 2013;

(iv) that Duc NGUYEN either packed or assisted to pack the drugs into the plain cardboard carton with Asian characters

on it, and that particularly on 4 February 2014 that he cut that carton open and rummaged through that carton;

(v) that Duc NGUYEN packed or assisted with packing the foam box that contained amongst other things, the methylamphetamine in the ceramic cup as well as face masks;

(vi) that Duc NGUYEN packed or assisted the packing of the

Tiger brand bag contents, including a hydraulic bottle type jack consistent with those seized by Victoria Police from Holland Court on 21 November 2013, as well as placing into that the 2 Blackberry phones in a single clear plastic zip lock bag into the egg-carton-type material inside the box in the

Tiger bag as well as the “To Do” Notebook also in the bag;

(vii) that Duc NGUYEN then transported all these items and cartons to storage unit 3017 at about 8.30pm on 26 November 2013 and placed them inside knowing that there were drugs and drug-related items inside;

(h) that Duc NGUYEN knowingly possessed those drugs of dependence and controlled drugs within storage unit 3017 for the purpose of sale.

(i) that Duc NGUYEN’s possession of the items in the storage unit was continuing notwithstanding that he went to Vietnam between 27 November 2013 and 4 February 2014;

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(j) that on 4 February 2014 at around midday, Duc NGUYEN attended storage unit 3017 and rearranged some of the boxes, then opened the tape- sealed brown cardboard carton with Asian characters on it (containing most of the Federal Police substituted items) transferred the entire contents of the brown carton with Asian characters over into the white foam box and put the lid back on the foam box;

(k) that Duc NGUYEN then retrieved 2 Blackberry phones from the Tiger brand bag and then left the unit;

(l) that later that same night, at about 11.30pm Duc NGUYEN returned briefly to storage unit 3017 and placed a black cardboard “Monster Sweeper” carton on to the empty brown cardboard carton with Asian characters that was laying on its side on top of the foam box and then departed again;

(m) that the contents of the black cardboard “Monster Sweeper” box were later discovered to be:

(i) 524.8 grams Heroin (mix) (Charge 6);

(ii) Dealing with $169,900 knowing it to be proceeds of crime

(Charge 7);

(iii) Dealing with $169,900 being reckless as to whether it was

proceeds of crime (Charge 8) (alternative to charge 7).

(n) that the circumstances of this second “stash” being a further attendance where a further quantity of heroin was placed in the storage unit, together with $169,900 cash, further consolidate the prosecution contention that the contents of the storage unit was nothing other than a clandestine and illicit “storehouse” of drugs, then later drugs and illicit money, in circumstances where the prosecution contends that Duc NGUYEN would have not been wanting to keep the drugs and money at his home given that Quoc NGUYEN had been arrested on 21 November and that police had searched the Holland Court flat on 21 November 2013; and

(o) the prosecution contends that the circumstances surrounding the $169,900 cash placed into the storage unit were so illicit and clandestine and so connected with the stash of drugs, that the evidence overwhelmingly establishes that the money was proceeds of crime, and that Duc NGUYEN knew that the money was proceeds of crime.

1313

62. The prosecution presents a circumstantial case where the evidence is to be considered as a whole. The prosecution will urge that the unified force of all the circumstances put together will result in only one reasonable inference, that being a reasonable inference of guilt.

27 July 2016 Trial Prosecutor

SOPHISTICATED LABORATORY FOUND IN VICTORIA

A SOPHISTICATED underground drug lair uncovered by police may be linked to dead gangland kingpin Carl Williams.

Senior detectives from Taskforce Driver -- investigating the circumstances behind the underworld killer's death -- say it is one of the most sophisticated drug-manufacturing operations discovered in Australia.

And an investigation by the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the prime suspect behind the underground amphetamine and marijuana factory is a man known as "The Greek".

He bought the remote 16ha farm in Trida, West Gippsland, in February 2005 where four shipping containers have been found buried.

The drug den was reached through a false floor in a chicken shed and linked by a network of tunnels. One of the containers had scorch marks, indicating a fire had broken out there at some point.Locals have described how The Greek was involved in a shootout at the property soon after moving in.Last night, police confirmed they had arrested and questioned a suspect about the covert operation, confirming Taskforce Driver detectives spearheaded the investigation."Detectives from Taskforce Driver acted on an intelligence-led tip-off from a source," detective Sen-Sgt Nick Vaughan said."It is one of the most sophisticated drug manufacturing operations we have ever come across."Police believed the drug operation had not been used in two years.

The Greek sold the property in October 2008. The current owners are not suspects.

The Sunday Herald Sun traced The Greek to an address in Bentleigh East, where he confirmed being questioned by detectives.However, the man, who owns an automotive business, refused to speak about how he was linked to Carl Williams or Taskforce Driver.A police source said the drug operation was a "significant discovery", but mystery surrounds how it is linked to Taskforce Driver.

Williams was bashed to death in Barwon Prison in April last year.

The four shipping containers, 6m x 3m, were buried 1.5m underground and spread across 150 sq m.Tunnels linked all four containers, which also had extractor fans and ventilation tunnels.Further tunnels were built linking the operation to a woodshed and a garden shed. It also had electricity and a water supply.

Chemicals believed to make amphetamines were found as well as hydroponic equipment."It was an elaborate and covert set-up, underground in a remote area, on a dead-end unmade road in the middle of nowhere," Sen-Sgt Vaughan said.

"The entrance was through a false floor. Some of the tunnels were just three foot in diameter, just enough to crawl through. Extractor fans pumped air through the containers and there was an electricity and water supply.

"The tunnels were well constructed with metal support, beams and insulation. Walls were painted white to reflect the light."Police are appealing to local tradesmen who may have unwittingly worked on the project - but Trida is at least 30km from the nearest small town of Mirboo North and workmen could have come from farther afield.

Baw Baw Shire Council said only six households were registered ratepayers in Trida. The farm, called Krackatini, is 3km along unmade Allmans Rd, a dead end.

A neighbour who knew The Greek said that shortly after moving in, he was involved in a shooting incident - which police have confirmed."The previous owner had left an excavator on the property. He came to collect it with friends one day and (The Greek) pulled out a gun and shot at his vehicle, smashing the windows," Jeanette Swetnam said. "They managed to flee and called police but they were badly shaken up.

"I only talked to him a handful of times - once was after the shooting to apologise for the disturbance."He was always polite but kept himself to himself. We all do around here. We try to keep out of everyone else's business."

Ms Swetnam's son, Glen, said he remembered the containers being delivered to the property."It was a few years ago now but I remember them coming down the lane on the back of trucks," he said. "After the shootout, you don't ask questions of someone like that."Builder Greg Beyer said no one looks twice if they see an excavator or someone digging a big hole."Lots of people have excavators on their property. There's lots of building always going on and no one bats an eyelid. And people digging holes is commonplace."If anyone did see something, you would just think they are building a dam or something."But I am intrigued if anyone did help dig the hole because I do the majority of the work in the area."Eight officers raided the property at 7.30am on February 2. The couple who now own the property, in their mid-40s, were separated and questioned at a nearby police station, unaware of what was beneath their property.When officers revealed what they were looking for, the man told them to start the search under his vegetable patch because "it sunk a few weeks ago".

They own horses, sheep and goats and run their own roofing business nearby.

The couple are now on holiday "recovering from the ordeal".

"(The woman) is still having nightmares about it," neighbour Margot O'Brien said. "It was a dawn raid and they had no idea what was going on. They are both badly shaken up and have gone on holiday to recover from the ordeal."

Resident Julie Ettery said: "It's not just the police raid but the thought of having a drug laboratory a few metres from your back doorstep all that time.

"Heaven knows who could have been hanging around the place - it shatters your quiet rural outlook."It's what might have been that's the worry, who has been watching their home, who tipped the police off, who knew about it - all these questions are running through their minds," Ms Ettery said.

CREDIT HERALD SUN

LARGE LAB FOUND IN ADELAIDE

An industrial-sized meth "super lab" capable of producing "hundreds of millions of dollars" worth of illicit drugs has been discovered by police at a property in a suburban street of Adelaide.

Key points:

• Three people were arrested on drugs charges, further arrests expected

• Police said it was one of the largest meth labs ever discovered in South Australia

• Chemical were found at the site, which posed a danger to neighbouring homes

Three people were arrested by police on drugs charges relating to the find while one man is also being sought by police.

Police estimated that the street value of the find could be in "the hundreds of millions" and that the lab had been in operation for some time.

"This — what you could describe as a 'super lab' — is one of the largest meth labs ever discovered in South Australia," Detective Superintendent Mark Trenwith said.

The industrial-sized clandestine laboratory was discovered at a property in Croydon as part of an ongoing joint operation with police conducting a search of the premises at Scotia Street.

Detective Superintendent Trenwith said a large amount of precursor chemicals were found, and it was estimated that there were hundreds of kilograms of what is believed to be pseudoephedrine powder at the address.

"The most significant outcome of this joint operation is that hundreds of kilograms of meth will be prevented from hitting the street," he said.

He said further testing would be required to determine the exact nature of the illicit substances.

PHOTO: Equipment found inside an industrial clandestine meth lab by SA police. (SAPOL)

'Hundreds of kilograms of powder'

Detective Superintendent Trenwith said police estimated hundreds of kilograms of powder was found at the property and so much drug paraphernalia that special lifting equipment may be needed to dismantle the scene.

"We may be required to bring in special lifting equipment, such as forklifts, trucks to dismantle and remove the lab due to the size and weight of the components involved," he said.

"Construction processes were [also] underway at this site to build more large scale, clan lab equipment."

He said a large amount of precursor chemicals were found at the site, which posed a significant danger to neighbouring homes in the area.

"They contain toxic chemicals, often associated with fires and explosions," he said.

"This is an extremely dangerous process, very large vessels that are used to mix up this toxic mix of chemicals … the dangers of explosions and fires cannot be underestimated.

"In terms of clan-lab equipment this is definitely the biggest industrial-sized clan lab set-up that we've seen."

PHOTO: A crime scene outside a property in Croydon where SA police discovered a meth lab. (ABC News: Isadora Bogle)

Further arrests are expected

Three people were arrested and charged with manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, and trafficking a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.

They were a 46-year-old man from Croydon, a 24-year-old woman from Croydon and a 57-year-old man from Killarney Vale in New South Wales.

Detective Superintendent Trenwith said police expected further arrests to be made and one man in particular was still being sought.

PHOTO: Chemicals and equipment found inside a meth lab by SA police. (SAPOL)

"Enquiries will continue both within this state and elsewhere … we expect further arrests to be made in relation to this matter," he said.

"In particular we are seeking to locate one man we believe is involved in this operation who we are attempting to locate at the moment.

"I would advise him if he's watching to get some legal advice and give himself up at a police station, he will know who he is."

Police said the premises at Croydon would be processed by detectives, police from the Forensic Response Section and a chemist from Forensic Science Australia.

Detective Superintendent Trenwith said the processing would take several days.

MDMA LAB FOUND IN CANBERRA

Chemical waste from cooking drugs, carelessly discarded by Canberra's own Walter White, led the authorities to Stanley Hou's drug lab.

The chemicals were picked up by water testers, who triggered a six-month search for the source of the contamination that uncovered a commercial grade clandestine drug lab capable of producing $10-20 million of MDMA.The discovery of the chemical traces ultimately cost Hou his freedom, his family home, and two investment properties.

The former financial planner will sit in a jail cell while the three properties - seized from the drug cook through the ACT's confiscation of criminal assets regime - go under the hammer in the coming months.Court documents estimate the sale will fetch more than $1.35 million.

Police seized tonnes of highly volatile precursor chemicals, lab equipment worth about $200,000 on the black market, cash, and drugs in a bust that kept a potential 400kg of MDMA, or more than four million ecstasy pills, off Canberra's streets.

At the time, it was the largest seizure of MDMA in the ACT's history.

It was a mixture of luck and hard graft that led to the downfall of Canberra's own Walter White - the fictional drug cook made famous in hit series Breaking Bad.In a coincidence, police raiding the lab were confronted with a curious and unexplained guest: a look-alike of the Crystal Ship motor home in the US television series.

However, Chris Convine, whose brother's motor home was parked outside the shed he owns that was adjacent to the drug laboratory, didn't see the humour in police staring at the beige monster until, of course, an officer explained the plot of Breaking Bad and asked if he could take a pictureHou - who has degrees in finance and mathematics - had worked as a financial planner until 2013 when he resigned and leased the industrial unit in October the same year under a business registered to both himself and his wife, Mai Phuong Do.

He told the agent he intended to use to store woman's clothing which he sold online and had been seen bringing cloths into the unit. Hou worked undetected until, in February 2014, a contaminated water sample was discovered near Hume, sparking an investigation into a possible chemical spill.

Inside the clandestine Hume drug lab.

Authorities kept testing the water and began door knocking Hume searching for the source.

On August 12, workers noticed a strange odour after opening a valve.Business owners also reported the smell of chemicals and a trade waste officer noticed a strange residue on a window flyscreen at a nearby unit.

The waste officer door-knocked the unit, which was answered by Hou, before becoming suspicious and called in WorkSafe ACT and the police.

Scales and equipment found inside a southside drug lab.

Police stopped Hou from leaving in his car, entered the unit and discovered the laboratory.

A raid on his home uncovered a 28-page manual on how to "cook" MDMA, steroids, receipts for the purchase of chemicals from 2007, and documents linked to the business used to rent the Hume unit.

Lab equipment

A laptop also showed an internet search history with phrases including "how to grow MDMA crystals" and "lab supply".

Hou initially fought criminal charges, but switched his plea to guilty - during his ACT Supreme Court trial - to manufacturing MDMA, drug trafficking and possessing a large commercial quantity of a controlled precursor.

Chemicals drums found inside Hume unit used as a drug lab to manufacture MDMA.

At sentence, Hou claimed he had cooked the drugs to fund his betting addiction and set up the lab to pay off more than $60,000 in debt owed to a bookie.

The court also heard Hou's father had been beaten to death in an unsolved murder suspected to be related to gambling debts.

In June last year, Acting Justice David Robinson sentenced Hou to four years jail, with a two-year non-parole period.

Hou will be eligible for release in February 2018.

Prosecutors appealed the sentence as being too lenient, but the Court of Appeal rejected the case.

Meanwhile, prosecutors had three properties, owned by Hou and his wife, restrained as criminal assets.

The proceeds from the commission of an offence can be seized and sold by the state

A police affidavit, filed as part of court proceedings to seize Hou assets, said officers suspect Hou and a woman matching his wife's description - who had been seen at the Hume industrial unit - had been manufacturing MDMA since 2007, and had made millions of dollars from their criminal activities.

Mai Phuong Do has not been charged over the matter and denies any knowledge of her husband's drug manufacturing.

The convicted drug cook attempted to fight the seizure on human rights grounds, arguing it was incompatible with their human rights, was an abuse of process, would arbitrarily interfere with their family and home, and would amount to double jeopardy.

Double jeopardy is the legal principle which provides that no one may be tried or punished again for an offence for which they have already been convicted or acquitted.

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Defence lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith, argued Ms Do had bought one unit herself and was the sole owner, while the couple had purchased two other northside properties together.

Mr Kukulies-Smith said the properties had not been used in the offences and none of the money from the drug operation had been used in the acquisition, upkeep, or improvement of the properties.

But Associate Justice David Mossop ordered the three properties be auctioned, with the bank to be paid money owing on the mortgages and Hou's share of the equity to be paid to the territory.

The judge also ordered $159,000 of Ms Do's equity in the real estate be forfeited to the ACT.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Hau's wife had been seen near the drug lab. It has been updated to say a woman matching her description had been seen. Mai Phuong Do has not been charged over the matter and denies any knowledge of her husband's drug manufacturing.

GOLD COAST DRUG LAB DISCOVERED IN RESORT STYLE PROPERTY

FIVE men will face court this week after police uncovered potentially one of the biggest clandestine drug labs in Queensland.

Police seized more than $300,000 worth of manufacturing equipment and 70kg of methylaphetamines with a street value of more than $30 million.

There was also evidence the laboratory could produce MDMA on an enormous scale.

QPS Detective Chief Supt Gayle Hogan said it took police and partner agencies more than 18 months to track down the elaborate network.

Operation Enzyme culminated on Monday night when police raided eight properties across the southeast of the state, seizing a handgun, chemicals, glassware and other chemicals associated with large-scale drug production.

More than 2.5 tonnes of chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs was seized.

``The scale of this laboratory puts it in a unique category,’’ Australian Crime Commission acting national manager of Target Development and Intervention, Carey Stent.

``The majority of illicit drug laboratories detected in Australia are capable of producing one or two drug types, the laboratory shutdown on Monday had the potential to produce multiple drug types with multiple processing methods also present.’’

``“This protracted investigation has highlighted the investigative and intelligence capabilities of partner agencies working together to provide successful outcomes,” Detective Chief Supt Hogan said.

Mr Stent said clan labs were dangerous.

“Clandestine labs are volatile – most of the time there is no proper storage to manage the potentially dangerous chemicals used to manufacture drugs in these labs. This puts communities at risk as clan labs explode and put innocent bystanders and neighbours at risk of injury,” Mr Stent said.

Police raided a multimillion-dollar rural property on Tomewin Mountain Rd about 6pm and allegedly found a large laboratory with a substantial amount of chemicals, glassware and laboratory equipment suspected of being used to cook methamphetamine.

The raid came after a six-month joint investigation -- titled Operation Hotel Enzyme -- by Queensland Police and the Australian Crime Commission.

Police arrested Matthew James Smith, 28, and Dane James Marriot, 36, at the property and it is believed a Taser was deployed during the raid to subdue a man.

Two others, Andreas Schmidt, 44, and Darren Cutting, 29, were subsequently arrested.

A fifth man, aged 19, has also been charged

CREDIT COURIER MAIL

NEW SMUGGLING TECHNIQUES DISCOVERED IR AT LEAST WHAT THEY KNOW

Changing dynamics in the criminal world, new government control strategies and fast technological advances are forcing organized crime groups to update their drug trafficking techniques.

Below, InSight Crime details five of the most inventive strategies adopted by Latin American criminal groups in an attempt to outwit authorities.

1. Narco-Ambulances

Criminal groups in several countries in the region have used ambulances to transport cocaine and marijuana, taking advantage of the low probability that authorities will detain emergency vehicles, even in border areas.

In Argentina, for example, the Gendarmerie stopped an ambulance in April and found 400 kilogr

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LIQUID METHAMPHETAMINE SEIZURE

06-07-2018 -

A search warrant during a joint agency operation has uncovered a clandestine drug production facility at a home in Beverly Hills in Sydney’s south-west.The area has been deemed safe and there is no identified risk to the community.Investigators from joint agency Operation Sudwala attended a home in Lakemba, NSW on Tuesday, 3 July 2018 to execute a routine search warrant for evidence-gathering purposes, in connection with an ongoing investigation which has been running since 2017.As part of this investigation in January 2018, police seized 70 litres of methamphetamine and arrested a 53-year-old Hong Kong national for his alleged involvement in the manufacturing of the drug. Intelligence provided by New Zealand Police was instrumental in leading to this activity.

Following this arrest, the joint agency team continued investigations, and on Tuesday, 3 July, Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force (NSWPF) and Australian Border Force (ABF) officers attended a house in Lakemba, and uncovered information which led to a second property of interest in Beverly Hills, NSW.Police executed two further search warrants at Beverly Hills properties and discovered a clandestine drug laboratory, which police allege was being used to extract methamphetamine from fabric soaked in the substance.

NSWPF State Crime Command Drug and Firearms Squad (Chemical Operations) attended and assisted investigators at the scene.During the searches across Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 July, investigators located approximately 15-17kg of a substance which returned a positive result for methamphetamine. A quantity of fabric soaked in a substance believed to be methamphetamine was also located at the scene. An estimated total of 150 litres of liquid methamphetamine was recovered.

Further forensic testing will be carried out to determine the exact weight and purity of the substances A 51-year-old Chinese woman from Lakemba, and a 56-year-old Chinese man from Lakemba, were arrested by the AFP and NSWPF, and charged with the state-based offence of manufacture and production of prohibited drugs, contrary to section 24 of the Drugs Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW).

They appeared before court on 5 July and were remanded to reappear at Burwood Local Court on 29 August 2018.Investigations remain ongoing and further arrests have not been ruled out.AFP Coordinator Organised Crime, Detective acting Superintendent Mark Webster, said the discovery of the lab was a result of policing partnerships in action.“This result is an example of good police work, involving detectives and intelligence analysts working together from a number of different law enforcement agencies. The seizure of illicit drugs is significant, as is the level of disruption caused to this criminal syndicate,” Detective acting Superintendent Webster said.

“There is more work to do to ensure that we make life as difficult as possible for organised crime syndicates operating in our community. We will continue this fight with our partners utilising our full suite of capabilities.”NSWPF Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Damien Beaufils, said the key to a real and lasting impact on organised crime is through a reduction in demand for all illicit commodities.

“All criminal enterprise is motivated by profit, and while ever there is high-demand for drugs, there will be someone trying to exploit it,” Det A/Supt Beaufils said.“While collaborative local and international law enforcement operations are having success in targeting these networks and their activities, we need strong community cooperation to break the cycle of addiction and ultimately reduce demand for illegal drugs.”

Australian Border Force Commander Investigations Graeme Grosse said working together with law enforcement partners had again led to a great result.“An investigation that has led to multiple charges and involved our federal and state law enforcement partners demonstrates we do not tolerate the importation of illicit drugs through our border or domestic manufacturing in our community,” Commander Grosse said.The fact is; Australia’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies are united and resolute in their commitment to combat the illicit drug trade.”This investigation has involved members of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force (NSWPF), Australian Border Force (ABF), Department of Home Affairs (DHA), NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

HEROIN SEIZURE

05-2018 -

A joint investigation undertaken by NSW Police Force and the Australian Border Force (ABF) through Strike Force Weenamana has resulted in the identification of 16kg of heroin imported from Asia, concealed within a consignment of children’s clothing.As part of ongoing inquiries into the illicit supply of drugs and firearms, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad received information about an importation conspiracy.

Following further inquiries, ABF officers targeted a package sent via air cargo from Thailand, which arrived in Sydney on Tuesday 1 May 2018.The package was examined and x-rayed where anomalies where noted, at which point ABF officers unpacked the consignment and located children’s clothing concealing eight packets of ‘copy paper’. Testing of the contents provided a positive result for heroin.

In total, police seized 16kg of heroin, which has an estimated potential street value of $8 million.Further investigations identified the package had been delivered to a holding location in Sydney’s south-west before being picked up by a 45-year-old man yesterday (Wednesday 16 May 2018).A short time later, a search warrant was executed at a home at Cabramatta West, where the man was arrested.

During the search, police seized the contents of the package, mobile phones, documentation, and 27 cases of Johnny Walker Blue Label, which has a retail value of more than $30,000.The man was taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with knowingly take part in large commercial drug supply.

He was refused bail and appeared at Liverpool Local Court today (Thursday 17 May 2018), where he was formally refused bail to re-appear on Wednesday 18 July 2018.The Drug and Firearms Squad’s Detective Chief Inspector Jason Weinstein said investigators are focusing on the supply chain, both here and abroad.

“With the seizure of 16kg of heroin, we know we have put a decent dent in availability on the street, but we can’t stop there; we will continue our inquiries into where it came from and where it was going,” Det Ch Insp Weinstein said.

“Further to that, we will harness the skills of our partner agencies, including the Australian Border Force, to stop the importation and large-scale supply of drugs which continue to plague our community.“The most important thing we need is a commitment from the community to change the perception and acceptance of drugs, and dramatically reduce the demand for all illicit substances,” Det Ch Insp Weinstein said.

ABF Superintendent Investigations NSW, Garry Low, said heroin is a destructive drug that harms the users, their family, friends and the Australian community.“Heroin is extremely addictive and destructive, it rips apart families and does untold damage to those who become trapped in its grip,” Superintendent Low said.

“Keeping these illicit substances out of the hands of those who seek to make a profit from vulnerable members of our society is a high priority for the ABF.”

The joint investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.

Anyone with information about the importation of illicit drugs or precursors is encouraged to report it to the ABF’s BorderWatch program by visitingaustralia.gov.au/borderwatch.

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

CHARGES LAID OVER 200KG METH SEIZURE

10-05-2018 -

A NSW Joint Organised Crime Group (JOCG) investigation into a 200-kilogram shipment of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) hidden inside machinery yesterday resulted in the arrest of three men in Sydney’s south-west.The JOCG is a multiagency taskforce comprising members from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force (NSWPF), Australian Border Force (ABF), Department of Home Affairs (DHA), NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).

A 22-year-old Chinese national and two Taiwanese nationals, aged 22 and 29, are scheduled to face Sydney Central Local Court today after being charged with offences relating to the importation and attempted possession of a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.The ABF targeted the container arriving in Sydney on 21 April 2018 from Malaysia. It was examined and x-rayed by ABF officers at the Port Botany Container Examination Facility upon arrival, and after further examination and deconstruction, the Ice was found concealed within two metal lathes.

Each of the lathes was found to contain packages marked as tea that contained a crystalline white substance that presumptively tested positive to crystal methamphetamine. The packages were subsequently removed and substituted with an inert substance by members of the JOCG as part of a controlled operation.On Monday, 7 May, the lathes were delivered to a warehouse in the Sydney suburb of Kingsgrove. The two Taiwanese nationals were arrested yesterday (9 May) after they accessed the concealment and attempted to move it to another locations. The Chinese national was arrested after he left the warehouse at a later stage.JOCG members subsequently executed search warrants on the Kingsgrove warehouse and on three other premises in the Sydney suburbs of Kingsgrove, Riverwood and Strathfield.AFP Detective Superintendent Stephen Dametto, Coordinator Organised Crime, said investigations were ongoing regarding the source of the shipment.“The simple fact is that you require links to organised crime to finance, acquire, transport and distribute 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, and we will continue our investigation into what those links are,” Det. Supt. Dametto said.“Part of these ongoing enquiries will include the AFP’s international network to find out where this shipment of drugs originated and the extent that offshore organised crime groups were involved.”NSW Police Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective ActingSuperintendent Damian Beaufils, said the seizure illustrates that there is still a high demand for ice in Australia.“The main game for organised criminal groups will always be profit, and when dealing in illicit drugs, this demand makes Australia a lucrative market,” Det. a/Supt. Beaufils said.

“NSW Police Force and our partners will continue to make seizures like this and arrest syndicate members – that’s our job. What we need is a whole of community commitment to change the perception and acceptance of illicit drugs. It’s the only way we can make a real and lasting impact on the profits of organised criminal groups that target NSW.”ABF Regional Commander New South Wales, Danielle Yannopoulos, said organised criminal syndicates are using sophisticated smuggling methods in an attempt to evade ABF scrutiny, but officers have the expertise and technology to see right through even the most elaborate concealment attempts.“This operation once again demonstrates the effectiveness of the ABFs ability to detect illicit drugs at the border and highlights the success of our collaborative approach to fighting organised crime.”All three men were charged with attempt to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code Act (Cth) 1995.The Chinese man was also charged with Importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act (Cth) 1995.If convicted, the maximum sentence for each offence is life imprisonment.

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

DRUGS FOUND IN CARAVAN

30-04-2018 -

Two men have faced court for allegedly attempting to smuggle 91kg of MDMA and 3kg of ice into Australia, with the illicit drugs hidden in a caravan shipped from the UK.On 15 April, the Australian Border Force (ABF) identified the sea cargo consignment from the United Kingdom as being of interest and conducted further examinations at the Sydney Container Examination Facility (CEF).After anomalies were noted during x-ray of the caravan, the ABF Detector Dog Unit also attended with the dogs giving a positive reaction.Officers deconstructed the caravan and found the drugs, which have an estimated street value of more than $5 million, hidden within three cavities.

On Saturday 28 April, AFP investigators conducted a controlled delivery, removing the drugs and allowing the caravan to continue to its destination. Police arrested two men who were awaiting the caravan’s arrival in St Ives, Sydney.AFP Detective Superintendent Gerard Fletcher said the operation shows the importance of the AFP and ABF working together to stop the harmful substances reaching the Australian community.

“This is a marketable amount of drugs we know have profound and tragic impacts on individuals, families and the broader community,” Detective Superintendent Fletcher said.“The AFP and ABF play an important role in stopping the trafficking of these kinds of harmful substances and we hope this sends a message: if you’re thinking of buying, selling or transporting illicit drugs, it’s simply not worth the risk.”

ABF Regional Commander NSW Danielle Yannopoulos said this detection is yet another example that shows the effectiveness of the ABF’s targeted, multi-layered approach to protecting the border and the Australian community. “After successfully identifying this as a shipment of interest, we’ve used our cutting-edge x-ray technology and world-class detector dogs to locate a significant amount of dangerous drugs before they could reach the community,” Commander Yannopoulos said.

“We’ve recently invested in upgrades to our x-ray facilities at our CEFs, including in Sydney, giving our officers the ability to see further into each consignment and a greater ability to detect the complex concealments that are increasingly being used by organised crime groups.”The two men have each been charged with two counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug – one for 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and another for methamphetamine – contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

CREDIT ABF/CUSTOMS

ICE DETECTION AT MELBOURNE AIRPORT

01-11-2018 -

Two men were charged at Melbourne Airport after approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine was allegedly found concealed in their luggage. On Friday 26 October 2018, two 21-year-old Japanese nationals were selected for a baggage examination after arriving at Melbourne International Airport on a flight from Bangkok. During the examination, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers noted inconsistencies in the X-ray images of their luggage.Holes were drilled into the suitcases, which revealed a white crystalline substance. Testing of this substance returned a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine (ice).

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers charged the two men with importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, contrary to s 307.1 Criminal Code Act 1995. The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment. Further testing of the drug consignments will determine the exact weight and purity.ABF Regional Commander Victoria Craig Palmer said this detection was another example of officers using their intuition and training to stop illicit drugs from harming Australian communities.“This was a sophisticated concealment, and it shows no matter how the substance is hidden, our officers have the technology and expertise to find it,” Commander Palmer said.“Ice destroys communities and tears families apart. The ABF works tirelessly to keep these illicit substances from hitting Australian streets, so I hope this sends a strong message to those attempting to bring them in – we will find them and you will be prosecuted.”

AFP spokesperson Manager Organised Crime, Commander Bruce Hill said, Australian authorities will continue to combat the movement of illicit drugs across borders to stop the havoc methamphetamine wreaks on the Australian community. “Our work in airports with our colleagues in the ABF should send a strong warning to criminals, if you participate in the attempted smuggling of drugs into Australia, regardless of the method, Australian authorities will detect, arrest and prosecute you,” Commander Hill said.

The men will appear in court on 21 January 2019.

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4kg ICE DETECTION

09-10-2018 -

A 47-year-old man from Cyprus has been arrested and charged at Sydney International Airport after authorities found methamphetamine concealed in the lining of his suitcase.The man was selected for a baggage examination after arriving in Sydney off a flight from Doha, Qatar on 07 October 2018. Australian Border Force (ABF) officers X-rayed the man’s bag and noted inconsistencies in the X-ray image.After further inspection of the bag, ABF officers located a crystalline substance secreted in the lining of the suitcase. The substance was subsequently tested and gave positive indication for the drug methamphetamine, sometimes known as “ice”.

The estimated total weight of the drug is approximately 4 kilograms, with an estimated street value of about $3.5m.ABF officers referred the case to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) who attended and subsequently charged the man with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine. The man appeared at Central Local Court on 8 October 2018 where he was formally refused bail and remanded in custody. He will next appear on 5 December 2018.

Acting ABF Regional Commander NSW, Tony McSweeney, commended the good work of ABF officers who stopped this illicit drug from hitting the streets.“ABF officers work tirelessly across our borders to protect the Australian community from these dangerous and destructive drugs,” A/g Regional Commander McSweeney said.“We know the significant damage “ice” is having on communities around the country, and our officers at the border are committed to stopping drugs like this reaching our kids and destroying families and communities.”

The AFP’s Acting Sydney Airport Commander Simone O’Mahony said the arrest was another example of the desperate lengths people take to feed Australia’s appetite for illicit drugs.The ABF and AFP continue to shut down attempts to bring illegal drugs into Australia,” Detective A/Superintendent O’Mahony said. “This is despite the ever-evolving and creative attempts by criminals.“We know better than most the importance of keeping these dangerous drugs off our streets and out of our homes. As such, we hope this sends a message to anyone thinking about importing illicit drugs, the odds are not in your favour and the penalties are severe.

“We also want to highlight the community’s role in stopping this illegal trade. In understanding the social and financial impacts of these drugs, as well as the importance of education, I hope that we can kick our country’s drug habit and work together to create a safer Australia.”People with information about the importation of illicit drugs and precursors should contact Border Watch at Australia.gov.au/borderwatch. By reporting suspicious activities, you help protect Australia's border. Information can be provided anonymously.The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

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MDMA SEIZURE- NSW

08-10-2018 -

Three people have been arrested and 496 kilograms of MDMA seized following a joint Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) operation in Sydney.The MDMA was concealed in four industrial mincing machines in a shipping container that arrived in Port Botany from Turkey on Friday, 28 September 2018.

ABF officers targeted the container for screening, with their examination of one of the machines locating approximately 60 packages of a brown granulated substance – each weighing around two kilograms – within the door cavity of the mincer. Presumptive testing of the substance returned a positive result for MDMA. Further examination by the ABF revealed each of the four mincers contained similar packages.AFP crime scene investigators identified 248 packages within the four machines, containing a total of approximately 496 kilograms of MDMA. Further forensic testing will be carried out by AFP forensics specialists to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance. It is estimated that if this amount of MDMA were pressed into pills for sale on the street, it could have a potential street value of more than $57 million.*

Following a number of enquiries, AFP officers conducted a controlled delivery of the consignment to an address in Auburn, NSW.On Saturday 6 October 2018, a search warrant was executed by AFP and ABF officers at a business address in Clyde, NSW. During the search, police seized a mobile phone and a small amount of a substance suspected to be cocaine. Police arrested a 27-year-old Guildford man at the location.

A second search warrant was then executed at a nearby business location in Clyde, NSW, where the consignment of four mincing machines was seized. A 24-year-old man and a 29- year-old man were arrested at this location. Further search warrants were executed in the Sydney suburbs of Guildford, Auburn and Elizabeth Hills yesterday.The men faced the Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday 7 October 2018, charged with the following offences.

A 27-year-old Guildford man was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.1, by virtue of section 11.1, of the Criminal Code (Cth), and attempting to possess a commercial a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 17 October 2018.
A 24-year-old Coogee man was charged with attempting to possess a commercial a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 12 October 2018.
A 29-year-old Lidcombe man was charged with attempting to possess a commercial a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 11 October 2018.

AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield, Coordinator Organised Crime Sydney, said that had this amount of MDMA been pressed into pills, it could have made over 1.7 million pills.*“Had this drug seizure made its way to Australian streets, countless lives would have been affected. It could be users, health care workers that deal with drug issues each and every day, or the family that has been torn apart when deaths occur from illicit substance abuse,” Detective Superintendent Schofield said.

“Seizures like this don’t address the issues of demand and why people are willing to risk their lives by taking drugs without accurate knowledge of what they contain, but stopping almost half a tonne goes some way to reducing the harm these drugs can cause our communities”.ABF Investigations A/g Commander Garry Low said the result was a testament to the ABF’s highly-skilled officers and the sophisticated technology they have at their disposal.

“Every day our officers go to work determined to protect Australia from these harmful substances, and cases like these show their hard work and dedication pays off,” A/g Commander Low said.“Our officers have the technology, skills and commitment to find these drugs and stop them from entering the country – regardless of how criminals try to hide them. It’s a significant result for public safety and a win for the people whose lives could’ve been torn apart by these drugs.”

500KG COCAINE SEIZURE

September 2018

A joint international investigation has led to the seizure of approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine in the Solomon Islands and the arrest of two men in Sydney allegedly involved in planning to import the drugs into Australia.The joint investigation involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), NSW Police Force (NSWPF) and Australian Border Force (ABF), culminated on Thursday, 27 September, with simultaneous police activity in Sydney and the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara.

The Belgian-registered, double-masted yacht Vieux Malin was searched by the RSIPF – with assistance from AFP – at a mooring outside the Honiara marina. A large quantity of cocaine was found concealed within the vessel and seized.It is suspected the cocaine was placed on board the vessel in South America and was destined to be imported into Australia. The concealment of cocaine was complex and professionally constructed. It is estimated the vessel contained 500 kilograms of cocaine.

Further forensic examination will be conducted by the AFP to determine the exact purity of the substance.

Law enforcement in Australia coordinated activity in Sydney on Thursday, 27 September, to coincide with the search of the yacht in Honiara. Two men were arrested and four search warrants conducted in the suburbs of Wahroonga, Bonnyrigg Heights, Dolls Point and Caringbah. Items seized during the warrants included a variety of documents and electronic material.

It will be alleged in court that a 41-year-old Wahroonga man was a key facilitator in organising the transportation of the drugs and financing the enterprise. It will be alleged a 39-year-old Bonnyrigg Heights man facilitated the transfer of money to fund this criminal enterprise.The men appeared before Sydney Central Local Court yesterday (Friday, 28 September) where bail was refused. The matter is relisted for mention on 28 November, 2018.

AFP Detective Superintendent Ben McQuillan, Coordinator Organised Crime Sydney, said international collaboration in this case was pivotal in helping Australian authorities lay these charges.“This is an unprecedented operation between Australian and Solomon Islands authorities, illustrating what can be achieved when our partners collaborate to stop large-scale drug importations before they have a chance to reach Australian communities,” Detective Superintendent McQuillan said.

“We have deployed investigators and forensic experts to work side-by-side with the RSIPF to achieve this outcome, and they will continue to work tirelessly to gather evidence offshore.”RSIPF Commissioner Matthew Varley commented “the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is proud to work in partnership with Australian and International Partners to combat drug and transnational crime affecting the Pacific. The RSIPF will continue to play its part in protecting Solomon Islanders and our broader Pacific neighbours”.

ABF Regional Investigations NSW Superintendent Garry Low said ABF investigators had once again been able to contribute to efforts to keep dangerous substances off Australian streets.“We know the demand for cocaine in Australia is increasing and tackling this issue requires a multi-layered approach through disruptions offshore, detections at the border and targeting the facilitators here in Australia,” Superintendent Low said.“The ABF will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners, here and through the Pacific, to bring down these individuals no matter where in the supply chain they sit.”

The Wahroonga man was charged with:

Conspiracy to import commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, contrary to Section 307.1 by virtue of Section 11.5 of the Criminal Code Act 1995(Cth). The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Knowingly deal in money or other property which is an instrument of crime, valued at greater than $50,000, contrary to Section 400.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.

The Bonnyrigg Heights man was charged with one count of knowingly deal in money or other property which is an instrument of crime, valued at greater than $50,000, Section 400.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).The investigation remains ongoing and further police activity has not been ruled out.

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COCAINE FOUND IN SUITCASE LINING

28-09-2018 -

Two Brazilian nationals have been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to import 4.5 kilograms of cocaine through Sydney airport, concealed in the lining of their suitcases.The 39-year-old male and 55-year-old female passengers, travelling together from Sao Paulo, were selected for baggage examinations by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers after landing in Sydney on 26 September 2018.X-rays of their suitcases revealed anomalies in the suitcase linings consistent with a concealment. Further examinations revealed a powder which returned positive results for cocaine.The estimated street value of the drugs is about $1.5m.The two passengers were subsequently arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP) and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug under S.307.1(1) of the Criminal Code 1995.

ABF Acting Regional Commander NSW, Tony McSweeney, said the detection highlighted the skills of ABF officers working at our borders.“While we can’t go into the specifics of our targeting methodologies, this is another great example of officer intuition being used to prevent harmful drugs reaching the community,” Acting Commander McSweeney said.“We know there is a growing demand for cocaine in Australia and local users are paying some of the highest prices in the world. My message to anyone who is lured by these potential profits is clear - our dedicated officers have the technology, skills and commitment to detect these drugs and stop you bringing them in.”AFP's Acting Airport Police Commander Simone O'Mahony said that the ABF and AFP are committed to working together to stop these illegal drugs destroying more Australian lives."This is 4.5 kilograms of cocaine that won't end up on our streets and in our communities," Detective a/Superintendent Simone O'Mahony said."Police know better than most the significant and often heartbreaking costs that these drugs have on individuals, families and the whole community. So, in stopping yet another import, we hope this sends a strong message to people thinking about importing illicit drugs – the odds are not in your favour and we will catch you eventually."The man and woman made a brief appearance in the Central Local Court yesterday (27 September 2018) and are scheduled to reappear on 3 October 2018.Anyone with information about the importation of illicit drugs or precursors is encouraged to report it to the ABF’s BorderWatch program by visitingAustralia.gov.au/borderwatch.

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DOG FINDS 2 KG OF COCAINE

12-09-2018 -

A 36-year-old Brazilian national has been charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with importing cocaine, after Australian Border Force (ABF) detector dogs at Perth Airport picked up traces of the drug on his suitcase.Two ABF dogs, ‘Ellery’ and ‘Vulc’ and their handlers were tasked with checking all baggage from a flight from South Africa yesterday afternoon. It will be alleged in court both canines independently indicated to the presence of drugs in the man’s suitcase.X-rays of the suitcase later indicated two packages hidden in its base - allegedly containing 2-3 kilograms of cocaine.The man was arrested by AFP officers and later charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.He appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court today (12 September 2018) and was remanded in custody to reappear on 12 October 2018.ABF Regional Commander for WA, Rod O’Donnell, paid tribute to the detector dogs and their handlers.

“The Detector Dog Unit is a vital part of our border screening process. The dogs’ ability to detect illicit drugs no matter how well disguised or hidden they are never ceases to amaze,” Commander O’Donnell said “The ABF uses a range of assessment techniques to identify travellers of interest and then uses cutting edge x-ray, detection technology and those aforementioned acute canine noses to identify prohibited items crossing the border.”

AFP Airport Police Commander, Superintendent Brett Jackson, said the arrest comes after a separate alleged cocaine importation at Perth Airport just last week.“This shows our authorities are working seamlessly to protect our communities at these gateways. Anyone thinking an airport is a soft target should consider what they are facing – a potential life behind bars,” AFP Superintendent Jackson said.

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3KG OF COCAINE FOUND IN WINE BOTTLES

11-09-2018 -

Authorities have arrested and charged a 33-year-old Australian man for allegedly attempting to import a commercial amount of cocaine on a flight from Peru to Sydney International Airport yesterday (10 September 2018).Australian Border Force (ABF) officers discovered the illicit drug after examining the man’s suitcase on arrival and finding two 750ml wine bottles, which returned positive results for cocaine. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) then attended to arrest the man.

It is estimated the drugs have a gross weight of 3.2kg and have a street value of $1.12m.ABF NSW Regional Commander Danielle Yannopoulos said that the discovery showed yet again the vigilance of ABF officers in stopping illicit drugs from reaching the Australian community.“Our skilled officers and world-class technology are on the frontline in the fight against these illicit drugs,” Commander Yannopoulos said.

“While there are ever-changing and creative attempts to beat our border processes, criminals continue to be undone by our mix of intelligence, officer skill and state-of-the-art technology.”The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) acting Sydney Airport Commander Simone O’Mahony said the arrest sends a strong message to others thinking about buying, selling or importing illicit drugs.

“The ABF and AFP are committed to working together to keep Australian streets and homes safe from these dangerous drugs,” Detective acting Superintendent O’Mahony.“So, if you’re thinking about getting involved in this illegal trade, think again - we will catch you eventually and the penalties are severe.”The 33-year-old man was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). He was remanded in custody to appear at Sydney Central Local Court at 9.30am today (11 September 2018).

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MAN BAILS FROM CUSTOMS

06-09-2018 -

ABF Regional Commander for WA, Rod O’Donnell, said the detection was yet another example of the exceptional skills of ABF officers in stopping illicit drugs coming through Perth Airport “Our officers are highly trained and use a range of assessment techniques to identify travellers of interest and then utilise cutting edge x-ray and detection technology to identify prohibited items crossing the border.“I also want to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of the two ABF and two AFP officers who pursued and captured the man as he tried to escape, as well as those members of the public who assisted those officers by pointing out where he had gone.”AFP State Manager Western Australia Greg Harrigan said that law enforcement continues to see criminals attempting to import illicit drugs into Australia.“This should serve as a warning to criminals who think they can conceal illicit drugs and avoid detection. You will be caught and you will face the potential of life in prison,” Commander Harrigan said.

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4KG EPHEDRINE SEIZURE

06-09-2018 -

A 36-year-old United States national has been charged with importing cocaine after he ran from an examination area and was pursued by Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers through Perth Airport on Tuesday, 4 September 2018.The man was subjected to a full baggage examination after his arrival from Brazil, via Dubai, during which five plastic bottles containing liquid marked as shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, mouthwash, and sunscreen were located.It will be alleged that soon after a positive presumptive test result for cocaine was returned the man fled the ABF examination area and ran through the airport arrivals hall.Pursuing ABF and AFP officers located the man hiding in bushes near the taxi rank after members of the public pointed out where he had run.The man was arrested and later charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.It will be alleged the bottles contained three kilograms of liquid; the exact weight of the cocaine is yet to be determined.He appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court yesterday (5 September 2018) and was remanded in custody to reappear on 12 October 2018.ABF Regional Commander for WA, Rod O’Donnell, said the detection was yet another example of the exceptional skills of ABF officers in stopping illicit drugs coming through Perth Airport.“Our officers are highly trained and use a range of assessment techniques to identify travellers of interest and then utilise cutting edge x-ray and detection technology to identify prohibited items crossing the border.“I also want to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of the two ABF and two AFP officers who pursued and captured the man as he tried to escape, as well as those members of the public who assisted those officers by pointing out where he had gone.”AFP State Manager Western Australia Greg Harrigan said that law enforcement continues to see criminals attempting to import illicit drugs into Australia.“This should serve as a warning to criminals who think they can conceal illicit drugs and avoid detection. You will be caught and you will face the potential of life in prison,” Commander Harrigan said.

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25KG EPHEDRINE SEIZURE

25-08-2018 -

A 29-year-old Chinese national has been arrested after an investigation by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers led to the seizure of approximately 25 kilograms of the drug precursor ephedrine.The investigation began in June 2018 when ABF officers at the Sydney International Mail Gateway facility intercepted three separate consignments from the United Kingdom.

The first two packages, intercepted on 10 and 12 June 2018, contained approximately 6 kilograms of ephedrine, concealed in male business shirts.The third package, intercepted on 15 June 2018, contained approximately 13.6 kilograms of ephedrine, concealed in the packaging of bedsheets.

Following further investigations, ABF officers executed search and seizure warrants at a residential address in Regents Park on 23 August 2018. During the execution of these warrants, officers allegedly found a small quantity of ephedrine and equipment suspected to be involved in the manufacture of illicit drugs.It is estimated the total amount of ephedrine seized could have been used to manufacture methamphetamine worth approximately $15 million.

The man was arrested and charged with three counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled precursor, contrary to Criminal Code Act 1995, Section 307.11(1), which carries a maximum penalty for an individual of 25 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine not exceeding $900,000. He was also found to be an unlawful non-citizen.

ABF officers also located and detained a female unlawful non-citizen during the warrant, who was taken into immigration detention pending removal from Australia.ABF Investigations Superintendent Garry Low said shutting down an alleged serial ephedrine importer was a great result for the community.

“This investigation and the seizures we’ve made have potentially stopped hundreds of thousands of hits of ice from reaching the streets in New South Wales, and perpetuating misery in the most vulnerable areas of our community,” he said.“The ABF works tirelessly to protect Australians from the harmful effects of these illicit substances, and criminals are no match for our highly trained officers and sophisticated detection and investigative capabilities.”The man appeared at Burwood Local Court on 24 August 2018 and was refused bail.The matter was adjourned until 24 October 2018.

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MAN CHARGED OVER SOPHISTICATED METHAMPHETAMINE IMPORTATION

30-08-2018 -

A Malaysian national has appeared before court after allegedly importing methamphetamine concealed in books.Earlier this month, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Melbourne targeted four air cargo consignments, containing several books sent from Malaysia.

ABF officers conducted an examination of the consignments which identified inconsistences. Further examination, with the help of the ABF Detector Dog Unit, revealed a crystalline substance concealed within the pages of the books. A presumptive test indicated a positive reaction to methamphetamine.Due to the sophisticated concealment method, further forensic examinations will be conducted to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance.

Earlier this week, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with support from the ABF, executed a search warrant at a Clayton residence. A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with four counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

During the search in Clayton, the ABF officers detained two unlawful non-citizens at the Clayton residence. The two unlawful non-citizens were transferred into immigration detention, pending removal from Australia.ABF Acting Regional Commander Victoria, Bjorn Roberts, said the ABF is proud of the work our officers do, around the clock, to protect the Australian community from the harm caused by illicit drugs.

“Our combination of highly trained and dedicated personnel, detector dogs and other technologies provide us with a good defense against all manner of concealments,” A/g Regional Commander Roberts said.“The ABF works alongside state and federal partners 24/7, to identify and disrupt domestic and foreign drug trafficking networks. Once identified, the ABF will use its powers to dismantle and, in some cases, remove those syndicates from Australia.”

“This result and these interceptions are an excellent demonstration of the collaborative work done by the AFP and other law enforcement agencies to disrupt the importation of illicit drugs,” Acting AFP Commander Peter Bodel said.The 28-year-old man was remanded in custody and will next face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 29 November 2018.The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

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4.7 KG METH SEIZURE

20-08-2018 -

A 48-year-old dual Australian/Nigerian man is scheduled to appear before court today after allegedly importing 4.7 kilograms of methamphetamine on a flight into Melbourne International Airport.Australian Border Force (ABF) officers selected the man for examination after he arrived on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday morning (19 August).

During a baggage examination, approximately 4.7 kilograms of a white crystalline powder was detected in his luggage. A presumptive test on the substance indicated the presence of methamphetamine.Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers attended and arrested the man. The AFP will conduct further forensic examination to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance.

The man was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1 of theCriminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

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MAN CHARGED OVER 50KG COCAINE IMPORTATION

18-08-2018 -

A 29-year-old Fijian national has been arrested and charged after Australian authorities in Sydney foiled an attempt to import 50 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a shipment of bottled water.The consignment arrived on 10 August and was targeted for inspection at the Australian Border Force’s (ABF) Sydney Container Examination Facility. Officers deconstructed the consignment after anomalies were identified during x-ray and discovered the cocaine.

It is estimated the drugs have an approximate street value of $17.5m.The consignment was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for further investigation and on 17 August, officers located and arrested the Fijian national.AFP investigators executed a search warrant at in Hurstville on Wednesday, 15 August, where they seized a number of electronic items and other material related to the importation of the consignment.

After further enquiries, AFP investigators arrested the individual yesterday. It will be alleged in court that the man was responsible for preparing the shipment for export from Fiji and travelled to Australia to collect it. Further enquiries are ongoing to identify any intended recipients in Australia.ABF Regional Commander Danielle Yannopoulos said the concealment was no match for the skilled officers and world-class technology positioned at the Australian border.“Unfortunately, we continue to see large quantities of drugs being sent to Australia and criminals use all sorts of concealment methods to try and beat our border processes,” Commander Yannopoulos said.“Using a mix of intelligence, officer skill and intuition, and our recently upgraded x-ray technology, we are more than capable of detecting these drugs long before they can make it into the Australian community.”

The AFP’s Manager of Organised Crime, Commander Bruce Hill, said the arrest demonstrated the AFP and ABF’s shared commitment to stopping illicit drugs from destroying more Australian lives.“This is an example of how Australian law enforcement works to keep illicit drugs off our streets and out of our homes,” Commander Hill said.“We hope it sends a message that, if you’re thinking of importing illicit drugs to Australia, it’s simply not worth the risk. We will catch you eventually.”

The individual has been charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs contrary to section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995. He is scheduled to face Parramatta local Court today.

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600KG COCAINE SEIZURE

02-08-2018 -

A Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) operation in collaboration with Maritime Border Command (MBC) has yesterday resulted in the arrest of two men and the seizure of approximately 600 kilograms of cocaine.MBC is a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF) tasked to conduct civil maritime security operations in Australian waters.

Law enforcement agencies will allege that the men were first observed heading towards the mainland in a small craft by ABF and Australian Defence Force (ADF) aerial surveillance assets assigned to MBC to patrol the ocean off the coast of northern New South Wales. MBC tasked Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Fourcroy to respond. As they were approached by ADV Cape Fourcroy, the men attempted to evade interception, jettisoning items into the sea.

The ADV Cape Fourcroy crew retrieved the items from the sea, which were identified as containing more than 600 kilograms of cocaine and initiated a pursuit of the craft supported by ADF surveillance aircraft. The small craft was later intercepted as a result of MBC surveillance support approximately 40 nautical miles east of Byron Bay, by the specialist members of the Queensland Police Service.

A 36-year-old man and a 53-year-old man have been arrested by members of the QJOCTF and charged with possession of a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.Commander Maritime Border Command, Rear Admiral Peter Laver, said the Australian Border Force is alert to the threat of criminal attempts to import illicit drugs using vessels targeting the Australian coast.“Australia’s waters are vast, and we deploy a highly capable suite of ABF and Defence maritime surveillance and response assets at our disposal to detect and intercept illicit imports in collaboration with International, Federal and State Law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” Rear Admiral Laver said.

“Our significant on-water presence has once again seen a large-scale importation of drugs thwarted, keeping hundreds of kilos of cocaine off Australian streets.”“Illicit drugs are a national problem and this operation highlights the importance and effectiveness of our law enforcement partners working collaboratively to identify and disrupt these attempted imports.”Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Andrew Donoghoe said that today’s result is an indication of the reach and coordination modern law enforcement enjoys in disrupting large-scale drug trafficking such as this.“Not only was the syndicate involved in this operation up against the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce, they were also facing resources from Maritime Border Command and our international partners.

“That we have stopped such a large amount of cocaine from hitting the streets of Australia is a testament to the combined efforts of all agencies involved,” said DS Donoghoe.Australian Defence Force Acting Chief of Joint Operations Major General Greg Bilton said the ADF is committed to the Whole-of-Government effort to protect Australia’s borders from illegal activity.“This drug seizure, and subsequent arrests, is a wonderful example of interagency cooperation resulting in a great outcome for Australia,” Major General Bilton said.Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker from the Drug and Serious Crime Group, Queensland Police Service, said the operation highlighted the commitment of partner agencies to preventing the impact of drugs on the community.

“We will continue to focus on disruption to prevent community harm,” Detective Superintendent Wacker said.Further warrants and enquiries are being executed and additional arrests may occur.The charges laid carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The men were expected to appear in Southport Magistrates Court yesterday (1 August 2018).

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Air Force officer caught with drugs stash

SURAT THANI: An air force officer has been arrested after 600,000 speed pills and 6kg of crystal methamphetamine worth over 80 million baht were found hidden inside his pickup truck which crashed into... Flt Lt Thiwa admitted he had been hired by a Myanmar man identified only as Boy for 300,000 baht to smuggle the drugs from Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district to the South, said Pol Maj Gen Apichart Boonsrirot,...

e Raekrun) Flt Lt Thiwa admitted he had been hired by a Myanmar man identified only as Boy for 300,000 baht to smuggle the drugs from Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district to the South, said Pol Maj Gen Apichart...

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1561034/air-force-officer-arrested-with-b80m-drugs. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post Public Company Limited. All rights reserved.

Huge drug bust in Chiang Rai

More than 20 million speed pills and 100kg of crystal methamphetamine -- worth over 2 billion baht -- have been seized and three alleged traffickers arrested in two major police operations in Chiang Rai... Part of the massive illicit drug haul seized between Oct 13 and 14 was displayed during a media briefing at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau headquarters in Bangkok on Monday

In the first raid, narcotics suppression police seized 12,200,000 methamphetamine pills, 100kg of crystal methamphetamine and three pickup trucks in Chiang Khong district on Oct 13, said Pol Gen Chalermkiart... Srivorakhan, deputy national police chief. Three men -- Withoon Piyapipattarakul, 35, Witthaya Wongbunchailert, 32, and Awichart Songsitthichaoren, 33 -- were arrested.

The gargantuan drug bust followed a tip that a drug trafficking gang would smuggle a large quantity of illicit drugs from Phaya Mengrai district to central Chiang Rai. Police teams were dispatched to keep watch along possible smuggling routes.

Mr Withoon and Mr Witthaya were apprehended at kilometre markers 1-2 on Thesaban Road in tambon Wiang of Chiang Khong district on Oct 13, while Mr Awichart was detained in tambon Sathan of the same district.

Thirty fertiliser sacks -- each containing 400,000 speed pills -- along with two sacks filled with a total of 100kg of crystal methamphetamine were seized from one of their three pickup trucks, said Pol Gen Chalermkiart.

In another operation, a team of officers from the Provincial Police Region 5 seized 10 million speed pills abandoned in Mae Lao district of this northern border province by a drug gang following a police chase on Sunday. Police manning a checkpoint on Thoeng-Chang Rai Road spotted a pickup truck travelling along the route at around 1am on Sunday. They signalled the vehicle to stop for a search, but the driver sped off. Officers gave chase, but the driver managed to escape.

At around 8am the same morning, police were notified by local residents that several fertiliser were lying along the roadside in Ban Rongsala village of Mae Sao district. On arriving at the scene, officers discovered 10 million speed pills inside the sacks.

During the media conference, police also announced four other drug busts involving 1,800kg of marijuana, 7.9kg of cocaine, five weapons and other items seized from suspects.

Credit Bangkok Post.

Huge 300kg ice seizure

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A man was arrested with 300kg of crystal methamphetamine hidden under rubber sheeting and coconuts on his pickup truck in Chulabhorn district on Wednesday - the largest-ever seizure of crystal meth in this southern province.

Police stopped and searched a pickup truck carrying rubber sheeting on Asia 41 Road in tambon Sam Tambon. Under baskets of coconuts on top of a tarpaulin, officers found 300 packs of crystal methamphetamine each containing 1kg, or 300kg in total. Driver Khorlae Muelee, 37, of Chanae district in Narathiwat was detained for questioning.

During the interrogation, Mr Khorlae reportedly confessed to having smuggled the drugs from Malaysia en route to a customer in Nakhon Si Thammarat. He told police that another vehicle had been driving ahead of his pickup truck to scout for police checkpoints. However, the suspect said, the driver of the first vehicle sped off when seeing police, leaving him to face the consequences.

Pol Col Nikhom Polprasit, border patrol police deputy chief, said the seizure followed information that a drug gang was planning to smuggle large quantities of crystal methamphetamine to a major dealer in this southern province. It was the largest-ever seizure of the drug in Nakhon Si Thammarat, he said. Police planned to widen the investigation to find others involved in the smuggling operation.

Credit Bangkok Post.

Another day another huge bust in Thailand

Thirteen drug suspects have been detained and drugs with a combined street value of over 2 billion baht seized in three crackdowns carried out this month, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) revealed Tuesday. Ten million methamphetamine tablets, 37 kilogrammes of heroin, 2kg of crystal meth and 917kg of cannabis were seized in total, police said. The first crackdown was carried out in Sukhothai on Sunday in a joint operation conducted by the NSB and officials from Mae Sot customs checkpoint in Mae Sot district of Tak, police said. The methamphetamine tablets and heroin were found hidden in a pick-up truck. They were found to have come from Chiang Rai province and were destined for Ayutthaya, police said. The detained suspects included 67-year-old Prawit Saema, 54-year-old Ying Saema, Napha Kitphanitsakun, 33, and 49-year-old Kue Saema, police said. They were all related. Prior to the crackdown, police said they had received an intelligence report supplied by a police informant that a large drugs haul would be transported from Chiang Rai to Ayutthaya on this route.

In the second seizure on Sept 15, two foreign men and a Thai woman were detained with 2kg of crystal meth at a hotel in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, police said.

The suspects were 41-year-old Emeka John Obimma from Nigeria, Isidor Rein Reyn, 61, from New Zealand, and 37-year-old Wararat Chansot, police said.

Police said they had received a tip-off that someone would be coming to Thailand to pick up the drugs, which were allegedly supplied by an African trafficking network operating in Thailand. The drugs were... destined for New Zealand, police said. Mr Obimma and Ms Wararat were found to have been staying at the hotel They had already delivered a suitcase containing the narcotics to the other suspect when the police pounced. The man claimed he did not know what was inside the suitcase that he had taken possession of, police said. The New Zealander claimed he had been tricked into taking the suitcase to a person in his home country , police said. He said he was visiting Thailand on a sponsored three-day trip after having won it as a prize in a contest, police said.

In the third case on Sept 13, six suspects were detained with 917kg of cannabis in Muang district of the northeastern province of Udon Thani, police said. Thirasak Saensanoh, Thirasak Toli, Rungthiwa Thabunma, Romli Rakrit, Kusulai Kulong and Anuson Ahman were the detained suspects, police said. The bust was preceded by another tip-off about a plot to smuggle the drug from a border area of Bung Kan in the Northeast to Satun in the South, police said. A number of drug dealers and producers linked to the latest crackdowns were implicated in previous cases, said Sommai Kongvisaisuk, chief of the NSB. In an earlier joint effort by the NSB and its Malaysian counterpart, two factories in Penang were raided and a large amount of methamphetamine seized, he said.

Credit Bangkok Post

Ambulances used in 400 kg ice seizure

Three suspects were arrested in the northern province of Phayao late Sunday night with 400 kilogrammes of 'ice' and ketamine in two ambulances normally hired for emergency services in Pathum Thani province. Police followed the two ambulances from the northernmost province of Chiang Rai and made arrest attempts in Phayao.

Suspects fired at policemen trying to stop the ambulances on Soi Sri Samran, tambon Dok Kham Tai, Phayao's Dok Kham Tai district at about 8.30pm. Police then shot a front tyre of one of the ambulances. It lost control and all the other tyres burst. The other ambulance was finally stopped at a checkpoint in Muang Phayao district. Police found a total of 300kg of crystal meth or "ice" and 100kg of ketamine in plastic packs in the vehicles. The suspects, who were not identified, were brought together with the ambulances to the Provincial Police Region 5 in Chiang Mai province. Rangsan Nantakawong, mayor of Bueng Yitho municipality in Thanyaburi district of Pathum Thani, said on Monday that the two ambulances and their staff were of a private company that the Pathum Thani health office hired for emergency services in the municipality. His municipal office supervised the payment of money from the health office to the contractor. He said the municipal office dismissed the company from the services in Bueng Yitho and would ask rescue foundations to fill in until the provincial health office could find a new contractor.

Credit Bangkok Post

Boshe’s village was Breaking Bad and it took 3000 military soldiers to regain control

A smashed lock and a scuffed red doormat reading, “Stay safe!” adorn the entrance to the unusually opulent three-story villa.

It was here that Cai Dongjia, surrounded by expensive redwood furniture and gaudy faux Corinthian columns, ruled as Communist Party chief of Boshe, a farming community in China’s southern Guangdong province that has existed since at least the 13th century.

Yet in an extraordinary reversal of fortune, 51-year-old Mr Cai was unmasked last week as one of the most wanted drug capos in the People’s Republic: a crystal meth mafioso who allegedly corrupted young and old in his attempt to make a fortune from drugs.Mr Cai’s kingdom began to crumble at just after dawn on Dec 29 when about 3,000 heavily armed operatives swept into Boshe’s dust-swept alleyways with support from helicopters, speedboats and canine unitsDuring an operation that was reported only last Friday, police claim to have closed 77 clandestine meth laboratories, seized three tons of methamphetamine worth an estimated £142million and made 182 arrests, including Mr Cai and 13 other Communist Party officials.

Methamphetamine or crystal meth is now the second most used drug in China after heroin.

Major anti-drug operations are nothing new, but the scale of the accusations against Mr Cai and his fellow villagers were staggering.

Chinese police labelled Boshe (population 14,000) “China’s number one drug village” and claimed it had provided a third of the country’s total meth supply.Twenty per cent of villagers – among them pensioners, housewives and children – had been involved in the drug trade in some way, according to Qiu Wei, a senior anti-narcotics officer.

Mr Cai was the “back stage boss” of a massive criminal network engaged in “drug making and selling, suspected corruption, abuse of power [and] dereliction of duty”, Xinhua, China’s official news agency, claimed.

When Boshe’s secret leaked out on Friday it immediately drew comparisons to Breaking Bad, the television series that charts the improbable descent of Walter White, a school chemistry teacher, into a life of meth cooking and gangsterism.

But local reports suggest a better comparison might be City of God, a Brazilian film that accompanied increasingly youthful drug traffickers as they used weapons, bribes and violence to seize control of a Rio slum.

For in recent years Boshe had become a “fortress” that was effectively off limits to outsiders, police claimed. Lookouts warned local criminals of suspect activity around the village and gang members used “machine guns and hand grenades” to intimidate their enemies.A local journalist who visited the village in 2012 reported being cautioned against photographing the luxury cars parked outside a growing number of houses.

Police vehicles were used to transport drugs in and out of the village, giving the gang “an almost cast-iron guarantee of protection”, the China Daily newspaper reported yesterday. Even local children were lured into the trade, it was claimed, spending their school holidays pulling apart prescription cough medicine capsules, the contents of which were used to produce the meth.

As Boshe’s meth racket expanded, the mounds of drug-related debris being dumped on its streets and fields grew ever higher, irreparably contaminating the village’s soil and river. The legacy of that period of lawlessness could be seen on Boshe’s rubbish-strewn streets this week.

Not a soul dared to speak openly about Cai Dongjia’s arrest or the plight of the 13 other government officials or policemen in custody because of the scandal.

Asked about the recent events, house-owners, shopkeepers and government officials were united in their amnesia. “I don’t know,” said one. “I can’t remember,” claimed another.

“I really can’t talk. If I said anything, I might be hanged,” admitted a third, whispering that at least one local person had been mysteriously found dead following the recent operation.Police had plastered many of the community’s walls with A3 posters declaring drugs “the source of all evil” and calling on traffickers to turn themselves in by Feb 15. But in many places the posters had already been torn down or defaced.

While local newspapers claimed that 400 officers had been deployed to keep order in Boshe’s winding back alleys, in fact there was hardly a policeman to be seen this week.

A 20-year-old man who appeared to be trailing reporters on a moped rejected the charges against Mr Cai and said claims that 20 per cent of villagers had reinvented themselves as basement chemists were an exaggeration. “The party chief is not the kind of person the media is reporting,” he said, blaming the accusations on political enemies.

Yet the suspiciously large number of luxurious villas in this largely squalid seaside village suggested something was seriously amiss.

Stray dogs and unwashed toddlers could be seen wandering many of the shanty’s filthy backstreets and raw sewage ran under many of Boshe’s elegant but dilapidated Cantonese-style homes.

But the neighbourhood around Mr Cai’s former home was from another world. CCTV cameras sprouted from the exteriors of sumptuous three and four-storey villas. House facades glistened with gold paint. Metal bars sealed spacious verandas from the outside world. A new BMW sat outside one address.

“The houses around here are really nice and luxurious,” said a 68-year-old visitor from Sichuan province who gave his name as Mr Wu.

“You don’t see that much in rural areas. I guess it is the result of the [economic] opening up.”

Last month, Xi Jinping, China’s president, banned government officials from smoking in public in an attempt to clean up the Communist Party reputation.

But on Monday Cai Shuibao, the interim party chief who has been sent to Boshe following his namesake’s downfall, appeared in no mood to surrender his drug of choice.

He puffed furiously on Chinese cigarettes as reporters pressed him to discuss the allegations against his predecessor or show them to one of his village’s former drugs factories.

“I have only been here three days,” Mr Cai said. “I know nothing, nothing.”

Visibly angry, the new party chief of China’s “number one drug village” turned away and stalked back towards the shelter of Cai Dongjia’s former office, past a newly erected propaganda billboard. “Good manners, discipline and hard work will get you ahead,” it read.

Credit Tom Phillips daily telegraph uk

Lufeng China’s meth capital

East Asia is in the midst of an intensifying struggle with methamphetamine trafficking that has led to dramatic political changes. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, elected on a populist agenda,has made the swift elimination of narcotics trafficking the central promise of his administration. While his methods have largely drawn criticism from the international community, China has backed his campaign, citing its own concerns about the growth of drugs (Inquirer [Philippines], July 20, 2016). This is not without cause. China is also facing domestic troubles due to rising production of cheap methamphetamine and increasing rates of addiction.Shabu, or methamphetamine (“meth” for short), is the drug of choice for most of the Philippines’s 1.7 million addicts (Philippine Star, December 16, 2016). In July 2016, Duterte, with his typical bluntness, issued death threats against three prominent Chinese drug lords and accused China of harboring narcotics smugglers (SCMP, July 28, 2016). To date, Chinese nationals do play a role in the Philippine drug trade, although the vast majority of traffickers are local Filipinos (Inquirer, July 7, 2016). To make matters more complicated, the Philippine press has a tendency to lump Mainlanders, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Macanese and members of the Chinese diaspora into one umbrella term—“Chinese”—thus creating further confusion on the origins of “Chinese drug lords.” Nevertheless, regular appearances of Chinese individuals in the Philippine drug war highlights China’s role in the Asian narcotics trade (HK Standard, September 8, 2016).

China is the world’s largest cultivator of Ma huang (ephedra sinica; 麻黄). A precursor of meth, Chinese Ma huang is used to manufacture one-third of Asia’s total meth production (2009). [1] Although Chinese officials frequently downplay the country’s role in this illicit industry, increasing efforts to clamp down on rising meth production shows that the Chinese state does recognize this as a problem (South China Online, January, 3). In recent years, total drug-related criminal cases involving opiates shrunk to 30 percent while cases relating to meth and synthetic drugs climbed to 60 percent. In 2014, there were 1,459,000 registered synthetic drug addicts, 1,771 percent higher than 2005’s 78,000. A 2013 study of 2,773 recovering synthetic drug addicts in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Yunnan and Hunan provinces show that meth was the first choice of 65 percent of respondents, followed by the meth precursor ephedrine (27 percent) and meth tablets known as magu (4 percent). [2]

Although domestic and international consumers of Chinese meth are mostly city-dwellers, China’s meth trade is actually rooted in the countryside. An examination of China’s most active meth manufacturing region—Guangdong Province’s Lufeng City—provides insight into the rise and resilience of meth trafficking based out of rural China.

Lord Thunder’s Domain

Sandwiched between the special economic zones of Shenzhen and Shantou is the tri-city area commonly referred to as Hailufeng—composed of Shanwei, Haifeng and Lufeng. Although the region is home to several natural harbors, its economy remains stagnant and is often overlooked by investors. Yet underneath the gray surface, subterranean business is booming. Since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, the tri-city region has accumulated a reputation for illegal activities. As a local saying goes, “Up in the heavens there is Lord Thunder; down on earth, there are the people of Hailufeng (天上雷公, 地下海陆丰).”

The City of Lufeng is probably the most lawless of the three. In the 1980s, Lufeng was known for smuggling. In the decade following, it gained infamy for counterfeiting. Now, Lufeng typically occupies headlines as the busiest region for narcotics manufacturing. Prior to a major crackdown in December 2013, the region supplied one-third of China’s meth. [3]

Most of Lufeng’s meth comes from its suburbs and outlying areas, and in particular, an area called sanjia (三甲地区), made up of three towns—Jiazi, Jiaxi, Jiadong. A hub of criminal enterprises, in 2016, half of Lufeng’s 328 wanted criminal suspects came from sanjia, and 65 belong to the village of Boshe—once China’s largest meth factory (The Paper, May 18, 2016).

A little over two kilometers from the sea, Boshe is a village of 14,000 all belonging to the Cai lineage (族). During the early hours of December 29, 2013, 3,000 police, armed police and border control troops descended upon Boshe (BBC, July 10, 2015). After encircling the village, the authorities began their largest ever operation seeking to completely root out drug manufacturing. By daylight, the police had broken up eighteen narcotics gangs and arrested more than 182 gang members. Seventy-seven drug labs, as well as an explosives manufacturing plant, were destroyed. A total of three metric tons of meth, along with twenty-three tons of precursor chemicals were seized. Nine guns, 62 rounds of ammunitions and one grenade were also netted (People’s Daily, January 3, 2014).

The village of Boshe has been subdued ever since. As of May 2016, 43 security cameras and more than 40 policemen monitor the villagers’ every move (The Paper, May 25, 2016). But only a few years ago, Boshe was the richest village in the area, nicknamed “Little Hong Kong” for its wealth. More than two-thirds of its villagers were involved in meth manufacturing (RFA, January 3, 2014). Money and precursor chemicals flowed in daily. New country homes and refurbished ancestral shrines reminded visitors of Boshe’s opulence. And neighboring villages even began to circulate a rumor that Boshe worshippers burned wads of newly minted notes at ceremonies to honor their ancestors (Guanchazhe, January 18, 2014).

Boshe’s Rise as a Meth Village

How did Boshe become involved in the meth trade? What was its position in the value chain? Who led the enterprise? To answer these questions, we must start with the story of one man—Boshe’s former party secretary, Cai Dongjia.

A native of Boshe, details about Cai’s early life is murky except that he was a gregarious man who made good investments in personal relations. Once the security chief of Boshe, Cai left for Shenzhen in 1999 as narcotics manufacturing in Lufeng intensified (Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, December 15, 2015). After returning home in 2005, Cai rejoined the bureaucracy with the help of a few old friends in the government and was appointed the village committee secretary and Party secretary of Boshe a year later (QQ News, March 30, 2016).

Cai came from the largest of the Cai lineage’s three houses (房). Therefore, not only is he the Party’s man but also he carries a weighty responsibility to the Cai lineage as their informal clan leader. Initially, Cai wanted to lead his fellow kinsmen on a path to wealth (致富) legally. But after failures to introduce cash crops, Cai, along with a few close relatives, decided to try narcotics manufacturing (China Dissertation Online, June 30, 2014).

Using his personal connections, Cai gained support from corrupt superiors in the government and even made partnership with police officers. [4] Business boomed like never before. Young men, elementary pupils, and even septuagenarians joined the enterprise. Investments poured in from businessmen and crime syndicates based in the Pearl River Delta that provided Boshe men with funds to purchase Ma huang from Fujian province, which was shipped to Boshe by the truckloads (The Paper, May 25, 2016; People’s Daily, January 2, 2014). Barrels of ephedrine—processed from Ma huang—and over-the-counter medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine were also stockpiled in the village. [5] Meth production was conducted as a township or village enterprise, where each household took up a division of the labor. The finished products were then transported to the nearest harbor, only 2.5 km away, to be loaded onto vessels that sailed to the Pearl River Delta. A common fishing vessel could carry two tons of meth if properly concealed (Xinhua News, June 22, 2016). Upon arrival to the Pearl River Delta, Triads from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau made purchases and drove the goods onward to the international destinations, but especially the Southeast Asian states of Malaysia and the Philippines. [6]

Meth Manufacturing Techniques in China

The “Lufeng Method” is a way of cooking meth—modeled upon the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method that was perfected in its namesake town before spreading throughout China. Meth manufacturing in Lufeng, which was once done openly, has gone underground after the December 2013 crackdown. Intimidated by the heightened security, Lufengnese meth cookers left their hometowns to set up labs elsewhere around Guangdong.

One such operation was rapidly built in a mountainous and swampy area 371 km away from Lufeng. This small-scale meth factory designed by Lufeng meth cooks produced 837.3 kg of meth in only six days. Funded by investors from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the factory, built by brick and wood, was divided into three areas: living quarters, work area and garbage disposal. Carefully designed, factory supported rotating 24-hour shifts for a maximized output (Xinhua News, November 4, 2015).

With the government crackdown on supply raising meth prices from the wholesale price of 20,000 RMB per kilogram in 2013 to 30,000 RMB per kilogram in 2016, the lure of greater profit will continue to entice cooks and traffickers to defy the law (Wenweipo, December 31, 2016).

Impact of Meth on Rural China

From criminal’s perspective, there are a few short-term positive and long-term negative effects regarding meth manufacturing. Employment and financial gains are the greatest incentives for most people in the drug trade. An average Boshe laborer makes 1,000 RMB per month. But as a drug trafficker, one can easily make a few hundred, if not more than a thousand RMB a day (China News, January 1, 2014). Although fast money comes with equally high risk since China has severe penalties for drug dealing, and authorities have not been reluctant in executing traffickers (Sohu News, June 27, 2015).

The impact of meth on society and the environment raises long-term developmental obstacles for local communities. Drug addiction is increasing in Lufeng, in congruence with the provincial pattern (QQ News, May 30, 2012). Addicts to one kind of hard drug are more likely to try other drugs, which is reflected in the surge of HIV/AIDS in rural Lufeng through needle sharing. [7] Gun crime is also a concern in these areas since traffickers are likely to be armed (South China News, October 14, 2016; People’s Daily, October 28, 2016). Poisonous waste from meth production, freely disposed, contaminates the environment and retards economic development in the long run (Sohu News, January 3, 2014).

State Initiatives in Combating Meth Manufacturing

In addition to enacting laws to limit the public’s access to medications containing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine (Sina News, December 27, 2012), the government’s response so far has mostly been the tried and true method of strike hard (严打), where it uses overwhelming force and a harsh application of the law to quickly reduce crime. Although Boshe is now a poster child of China’s anti-meth efforts, one author wonders how long this may last, given the costliness of maintaining such a campaign. [8] Yes, meth making is down in one village, but surrounding narcotics villages in the sanjia region are still in business (QQ News, January 18, 2014). Not to mention that despite the crackdown, Boshe villagers are still making meth, if not, traveling to new parts of China along with other Lufengese in search of a freer business climate to set up shop. Moreover, Chinese anti-drug police forces are fraught with internal challenges such as low pay, insufficient training, understaffing, overburdening, low morale and bureaucratic politics. China still has a distance to cover in developing a strong law enforcement counterweight against the deadly attraction of meth. [9]

There is no singular approach to solving the problem of meth trafficking in China. Ninety percent of people and goods enter China through Guangdong, which accords all of the province’s coastal cities a natural advantage in trade that includes drug trafficking. Lufeng’s stagnant human development limits economic mobility for its residents. [10] Take education for example. Despite population growth, the number of middle school students in attendance dropped from 147,000 in 2010 to 107,600 in 2014. Likewise, elementary school students in attendance diminished from 205,700 in 2010 to 116,500 in 2014 (China Data Online).

But the determining factor influencing the meth trade is official collusion with drug traffickers. Local officials—including policemen—worked with Cai Dongjia’s enterprise. Yet this is far from the only instance. [11] Lufeng’s city government, especially its public security bureau has a notorious reputation for being a cesspool of corruption. Two former Lufeng public security bureau chiefs, Chen Junpeng and Chen Yukeng, were convicted of taking bribes from and protecting drug traffickers. [12] In 2013, the entire Beidi dispatch station was placed under investigation due to similar concerns (Hailufeng Info., April 8, 2016).

Shanwei, the prefectural-level city that governs Lufeng, fares no better. Ma Weiling, the former Shanwei public security bureau chief and one-time provincial drug czar, sold official posts at will to the highest bidder and shielded city officials from criminal investigation. When Cai Zhiquan, a deputy of Shanwei city’s people’s congress was identified as a suspect in a shooting incident, Ma helped him avoid criminal charges after accepting a bribe of 1.3 million HKD (CCP News, April 8, 2016). Without Ma’s support, Chen Junpeng and Chen Yukeng, powerful patrons of Lufeng’s traffickers, would not have been Lufeng’s top cops (CCP News, October 21, 2015).

Conclusion

The alarming death toll of the Philippine drug war has refocused the world’s attention on Asia’s drug trade. At the center of Asian meth manufacturing, China’s successes and failures in combating drug trafficking will have regional, if not global, implications. Although the current hardline approach did have an impact on reducing meth manufacturing in one area, strike hard campaigns only last for so long. Official collusion with traffickers and economic underdevelopment cannot be addressed by simple, quick fixes. What is needed is a regular application of the law by professional law enforcers supported by a corruption-free government, and more importantly, greater investment in human development to expand opportunities for vulnerable communities like the townships and villages in the vicinity of Lufeng.

China’s drug problem will continue to highlight a number of issues that the Chinese government faces. The rural-urban divide is changing crime and public safety. Domestic stability will increasingly take up more resources of the state and further strain the links of authority that tie the central government and the provinces. Despite the growth of China’s security budget in recent years, the state’s seemingly inability to stamp out the drug business shows us the corrupting effects of the trade on local administrators who protected traffickers for financial gains. Moreover, China’s internal security strategy, which prioritizes political crime and threats against national unity, gives traffickers space where they can operate without impunity.

Credit Zi yang The Jamestown federation.

Meth kingpin sentenced to death

HONG KONG — Cai Dongjia appeared before a judge in a courtroom in southeast China last month to hear the court condemn him to death. Two of his partners are due to be executed as well, although not for another two years.Cai was no common thug. He was a Chinese Communist Party branch secretary in Guangdong Province. Those who join the party and receive the CCP’s political indoctrination are told the position is a bit like a class prefect, a figure meant to set an example for new members of the party as he presides over its daily affairs. But Cai had a very dark side. Aside from his official title, he was also known as “The Godfather of Meth.”

The saga apparently began in 2011, when Cai decided that his salary as local party boss was not enough and, a la Breaking Bad, chemistry could yield a second income. He located a source for ephedrine and periodically purchased clusters of the stuff at around US$300,000 per barrel. His partners cooked meth from it. When they had a stockpile of a few dozen or even a couple of hundred kilos, quick sales turned their product into a few million yuan.

As the operation expanded, Cai transformed the rural community of Boshe village, population 14,000, into a meth production hub, much like factory towns that specialize in assembling a single type of product. Adults were mules, dealers, or cooks. Children split open cold medicine capsules and earned a monthly wage of up to US$1,600.

Homes in Boshe were traditional houses built generations ago, and wouldn’t look out of place in Cantonese period films, but the cars parked in dirt lots were imported European vehicles, well beyond the means of countryside peasants. Eventually, old houses were knocked down and luxurious villas took their place. Outsiders were not welcome, and lookouts blanketed the territory. Locals called Boshe “The Fortress.”At around 4 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2013, Chinese police mounted an incredible assault on what the authorities called “Guangdong’s Number One Drug Village.”

Three thousand police officers were mobilized for the operation, supported by canine units, speedboats, and helicopters. The reported results were staggering. Eighteen separate drug gangs were arrested. Seventy-seven drug production sites were shut down. A bomb maker’s lab was raided. In total, 3,000 kilos (over three tons) of methamphetamine were seized, as well as 260 kilos of ketamine and 23 tons of chemicals used in the production processes. In some houses, all areas except the bedroom were converted into meth labs. The raid was a massive success for the police, with 182 men and women taken into custody, including 14 CCP officials.

In the center of it all was Cai Dongjia, whose ascent to kingpin status made him one of China’s most wanted men. A senior narcotics officer claimed Cai’s network in Boshe produced one-third of all the meth sold in the country. Even though Cai was arrested and now faces the death penalty, his intimidating presence lingers in Boshe. Villagers claim they know nothing about the drug trade or their former party chief’s arrest. Is it omertà? Amnesia? Fear?

Cai’s meth empire could not have blossomed without police and other officials looking the other way. In his heyday, Cai wielded incredible influence over Boshe. When unwelcome police officers tried to enter the village, townsfolk blocked them under the direction of Cai. If drug lords were arrested, the party chief would use his influence to secure their release. Bribes and threats were part of everyday business, and even the former head of the region’s Public Security Bureau was in Cai’s pocket.

All this was possible, not least, because China has a serious drug problem. Last year, the Xinhua news agency reported the country had 3 million registered drug addicts. Synthetic drugs, like methamphetamine, are more popular than other narcotics, likely because land use is strictly controlled by the government, which means drugs that require agricultural cultivation, like opium, simply cannot be grown.

Even though meth labs have been found in various parts of the country, a reportpublished by the Brookings Institute suggests narcotics produced in Burma make up a much larger share of the drugs available in China. More meth is coming in from North Korea as well.

All this has triggered what might be called China’s own war on drugs, but with some particular historical twists.

Imagery from the 19th century Opium Wars is still vividly present in the collective awareness in China. The British, who were selling opium grown in their Indian colonies to the Chinese, went to war to preserve their market and imposed demeaning treaties on the ruling dynasties. Nationalists see the wars as the starting point of what they call the century of humiliation, a period of severe political, economic, and social degradation, and drug trafficking is intimately tied to the concept of colonial invasion. Addicts are not only seen as individuals with personal flaws, but tumors that form a national weakness.

The use of meth is particularly widespread. Chinese celebrities have been arrested and tested positive for it. Factory workers use it to stay awake during extended or consecutive shifts. Meth is used in karaoke bars, where male patrons pay hostesses to get high with them. In some cases, businessmen share drugs to seal partnerships.

With plenty of users in China, it is not difficult to see why others have followed in Cai’s footsteps. Though Guangdong Province near Hong Kong is the epicenter of meth production in China, police have raided makeshift drug labs in other parts of the country as well. Last May, a 50-year-old chemistry professor from Shaanxi was arrested with six other people. That raid yielded 128 kilos of methcathinone, which is similar to methamphetamine, along with 2,000 kilos of ingredients. The professor also provided recipes and instructions to dealers on how to make methcathinone. In September, a former science teacher in Guangxi was found to have set up a drug lab in his apartment. He had resigned from his teaching position to make drugs, which he sold online.

The crackdown in Cai’s old stomping grounds, Boshe, continues to this day. Last year, police began to offer US$80,000 in reward money for tips that lead to the arrests of leaders in the Chinese drug trade. Remnants of Cai’s network still operate in Guangdong. Together with their North Korean and Southeast Asian counterparts, they supply the meth addicts of China and beyond. Australian authorities have seized two major meth shipments from China this year: a haul worth US$128 million in January; and a $1 billion worth of the stuff hidden in gel bra inserts.

Boshe is now lauded by the Chinese government as a showcase for the achievements in their war on drugs, and to their credit, the police have made great strides in eradicating makeshift meth labs, but the root of the problem persists. The chemicals used in meth production are not difficult to acquire in China. A report by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post indicates all of the materials are regulated but legitimate, suggesting deep-rooted corruption in China’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries. With such easy access to the basic ingredients, there is little to stand in the way of the next Walter White who wants to set up shop in China.

Officers return to meth village to see if the em has recovered

GUANGZHOU, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Police officer Li Jianzhao was once hated by villagers who cooked crystal methamphetamine in Boshe, a coastal village in Lufeng County, Guangdong Province.

The village of 14,000 was a center of production and trade of drugs, with over a third of meth consumed in China originating in Boshe and neighboring villages. One in five families were directly involved in drug production.

Li started work in Boshe the day after the raid on Dec. 29, 2013, when more than 3,000 armed police with helicopters and speedboats stormed the village, arrested 183 people and seized three tonnes of the drug.

Li leads 30 officers who continue to sniff out narcotics and maintain security.

Before the 2013 operation, Boshe was off limits to police. "When I started work here, the village was totally stinking, with sewage running everywhere, the ground covered by garbage and the air stinking of chemicals," he said.

Pointing toward a ditch, which still smells bad, Li said, "three years ago, it was 100 times worse than it is now."

Li's job was not easy. "Making and selling meth was a way of life here. The villagers hated us for cleaning out the drugs," he said.

When Li made home visits, he could not get doors open. Patrols were attacked and vehicles were vandalized.

"I understand how they felt. We caught many people who shared common surnames. People said there was no way out of making drugs," said Li.

In the past three years, Li and his colleagues have helped the villagers find other ways to make a living.

"The village is beginning to change. There are not so many cold stares now. I even get invited to have tea in their houses," he said.

Lufeng was a poor county of about 1.8 million people. Narcotics production became popular in 2009. To clean up the area and wean them off drugs, the government has built shrimp, geese and pig farms, said Cai Longqiu, CPC secretary in Boshe. "Many young people work in cities like Guangzhou and the villagers have taken up new jobs," he said.

The wholesale price of a kilogram of meth was 8,000 yuan three years ago, but the price was up to 40,000 yuan per kilo last year, said Lin Yizhi, public security chief of Lufeng.

"We have squeezed the room for narcotics, and will continue to combat production and trade," said Lin.

Anti-drug billboards are put up on the way from downtown Lufeng to Boshe. Wanted notices are also posted for suspects who are still on the run.

"It is easy to get tough on drugs, but it is difficult to completely stop the trade if we do not help people to find jobs, and if we do not help them abandon ideas of making quick money and breaking the law," said Li.

Lin Shaoang, CPC secretary of Jiazi township, suggested building an industrial park and improving port facilities to help people make money.

"When an area is so heavily influenced by drugs, we cannot count on a few campaigns to clean it all away. Economic development and awareness campaigns are the ultimate solutions," said Li.

Police still watching bosche village to apprehend fugitives still at large

Two years after police raided China's "breaking bad" village, which was once a no-go area for police, villagers are now living with daily police patrols and regular house searches. But with many young men still on the run, the village is still living with the legacy of the methamphetamine business.

Unlike other Chinese country roads which are often lined with family planning slogans, the rural path to Boshe, a tiny seaside village in South China's Guangdong Province, is surrounded by banners that read "Wage a people's war against illegal drugs."

This unusual place has been nicknamed "China's No.1 drug village." The once obscure village earned itself the title because for several years as many as 20 percent of its 1,700 households participated in cooking and trafficking methamphetamine, making it the biggest "drug village" in Lufeng, the city that once supplied one third of the meth produced in China.

The "breaking bad" village was raided on the night of December 29, 2013 when 3,000 heavily armed police swept into the village with helicopters and speedboats.

Now, two years later, local police claim that no new meth labs have been found in Boshe since the blitz, and villagers have "gone straight."

However, the disappearance of the village's fugitive young men after the raid, the daily house searches by armed police and villagers' reluctance to discuss anything related to drugs suggest that the village has not recovered from the scars left by the lawlessness and the crackdown.

Abandoned fortunes

Walking the pitted narrow roads in Boshe one can see anti-drug posters pasted on walls, windows and the fences of orchards. Some of them are illegible or defaced.

According to local officials who guided a group of reporters on a brief visit to the village in December, before the raid, the pungent odor of meth ingredients assaulted the noses and eyes of people living several villages away, villagers spliced electrical wires from power grids to provide the power needed for their meth labs causing frequent blackouts, and farmland and rivers were contaminated by toxic waste.

These problems have disappeared due to a sustained effort by the government in the past two years, but the legacy of the illegal drug trade is still plain to see.

In the center of the village, a couple of palatial three-story villas stand out from the village's usual dilapidated bungalows and shanties.

Their gold-painted walls are decorated with shining glass and carved antique windows. Several surveillance cameras keep a close eye on onlookers.

Each villa has a high metal fence separating the owners' luxurious life from the outside world. An Audi A7 was parked outside one of such villa.

Local officials said that some of those luxury villas are owned by villagers who may have made a fortune from drug trafficking.

The economy of Boshe once relied on fishing and orchards which could generate a monthly household income of around 1,000 yuan ($165), but villagers who made meth could earn 10,000 yuan a month, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

Among those villas, a magnificent but unfinished four-story villa with eight marble pillars each worth hundreds of thousands of yuan was deserted and surrounded by piles of bricks, broken sticks, household garbage and knee-high weeds.

The particularly large villa was owned by Cai Dongjia, the former Party secretary of Boshe and alleged drug kingpin, who was arrested in the raid. Cai was accused of protecting the village's meth manufacturers and allegedly working with corrupt local police to free detained villagers. Cai's case is still under investigation.

Suspects arrested in the raid are currently awaiting trial. After the court rules on their cases and they are sentenced, any house found to have been paid for with the proceeds of crime will be torn down, Lin Yizhi, deputy head of the Lufeng public security department, told the Global Times.

Along with Cai, police in the raid arrested 182 suspects in Boshe and confiscated 2,925 kilograms of meth. Police also seized guns, ammunition and knives.

Remain muted

Villagers refused to tell reporters about the raid or anything about illegal drugs during the 30-minute tour.

Many villagers either stared at reporters warily or simply went into their houses. One woman surnamed Li who lives in a three-story house with her husband told the Global Times that her family used to work in Foshan, Guangdong and she and her husband came back shortly after the raid.

"I know nothing about the drug issue in the village," Li said.

When asked about her three-story house, she said that the family saved money they earned working in cities for years to build it.

Cai Longqiu, the current Party secretary of the village, told the Global Times that the whole village is one big family clan with all local men having the same surname "Cai."

"Most people have one or several family members that were arrested for cooking and dealing illegal drugs, and it's understandable that they are reluctant to talk about these dishonorable things," Cai Longqiu said.

These blood ties kept villagers united against outsiders.

Before the raid, the village was known as a fortress that was off limits to all outsiders.

"Even for us police, we would dispatch 100 armed officers to search the village, but would be surrounded by two or three hundred young men on motorcycles," Wu Muqiang, director of a local township police station who often went into the village, told the Global Times.

"Now the situation has improved, at least we can conduct searches and arrests with only four police officers, and no one stops us," Wu said.

In the village, children run around the alleys barefooted, and elderly people and women sit outside. Few young people - and no young men at all - can be spotted in the village streets.

According to a wall of photos in the local government office that shows information about 100 fugitives, they are mostly men with the oldest being 80 years old and the youngest at 18.

Wu said that police have seized 35 fugitives from Boshe suspected of cooking and trafficking meth in the past two years, and at least 40 suspects are still at large.

The village government distributes a monthly subsidy of 200 yuan to families whose only breadwinner was arrested or fled, Cai Longqiu said.

"We are still collecting their information in order to better help them with their life and their children's education," Cai Longqiu said.

Crackdown every day

After the raid, local police maintained a large presence in the village to keep the illegal drug business under control. Police started to patrol and conduct house-to-house searches every day in Boshe village from the first day after the raid, Wu said.

During the reporters' visit, two police officers went from room to room at Li's home, checking her refrigerator and kitchen drain.

"The first time police came to my home, I was so scared. But now I am getting used to it," Li said.

Apart from regular searches, police have also set up checkpoints at the entrance of the village to randomly check vehicles going in and out.

In Lufeng, police set up a total of eight checkpoints on the main roads including the one leading to Boshe. Due to its long coastline, police have also set up three checkpoints by the sea.

Lufeng has been involved in drug production for several years. Three years ago, 14 percent of the meth seized in China was produced in Lufeng, and currently it's 40 percent, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

"The purpose of those checkpoints is to intercept the raw materials for cooking meth," Lin said.

Lufeng does not produce ephedrine and other chemicals needed for cooking meth, so they must be transported from other provinces and cities.

Since the raid, the Lufeng authorities have dispatched 350,000 police offices to check 220,000 vehicles, destroyed 75 meth-cooking sites, arrested 159 drug traffickers and 350 drug users and confiscated 1.7 tons of meth and 40 guns, according to the local government.

Guangdong is one of the country's major synthetic drugs manufacturing hubs, an international drug trafficking channel and a transfer point for the domestic illegal drug trade due to its location and developed sea and land transport infrastructure. Boshe, with its geographical position near the South China Sea, is in an ideal location for drug traffickers.

In order to raise public awareness of drug laws, the Lufeng government publicly sentenced 38 drug dealers in June 2015, 13 of whom received death sentences.

Chen Wei, deputy chief judge of Lufeng People's Court, claimed the public rally acted as a deterrent against drug crime, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The semi-open meth cooking in Lufeng has been curbed by harsh punishment, and many local drug dealers have moved their business to other provinces and cities, said Yang Xusong, mayor of the city of Shanwei, Guangdong.

"More than 300 Lufeng suspects are still at large across the country," Yang said.

Ruan Qilin, professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times that to curb drug trafficking, the government has to beef up controls over the production of chemicals that are the primary source for illegal drugs.

Amendments to the country's Criminal Law laid out punishments for those involved in illegally producing and trading chemicals that are used to make illegal drugs. Those who severely violate the regulation will face at least seven years imprisonment.

Credit globaltimes.cn

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