Police arrest Chinese students including one woman in 'Ice' bust as task force cracks drug syndicate running out of Sydney suburbs
- Organised Crime squad police arrest Chinese students in 'Ice' bust
- Six men and one woman on Chinese visas in western Sydney suburbs
- Police seized almost 60kg of methylamphetamine drug precursor
- Joint task force say drugs linked to large sea importation from China
- More arrests in coming days over 42kg drug seizure from Chinese ship
- Alleged Sydney drug runners linked to 'high risk crime syndicate'
Police have arrested seven Chinese nationals on student visas and seized close to 60 kilograms of 'Ice' precursor following a task force investigation into a drug syndicate in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn.
The alleged drug runners operating out of several suburbs in Sydney's west are linked to a 'high risk serious and organised crime syndicate' and more arrests are expected in days following a 42kg seizure of pseudoephedrine in a sea freight ship from China.
Detectives from the NSW State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad and specialist tactical police seized 15 kilograms of pseudoephedrine and arrested the six Chinese men and one woman at around midday on Tuesday.
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Busted: A Chinese national lies on the road in Sydney's western suburbs after members of the NSW Organised Crime Squad swooped, arrested six men, one woman and seizied almost 60kg of precursor chemicals for the drug 'Ice'
Midday raid: Months of investigation into the alleged Sydney drug syndicate by a joint task force of federal and state police and customs culminated in the arrest (above) of seven Chinese nationals, including four men aged between 22 and 24 years old who have been charged with the supply of a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs
High yield: Police and crime commission officers' months of investigation paid off when they uncovered cash, drugs and other items at properties they searched in Sydney's west. They say the drug operation is linked to a 'high risk serious and organised crime syndicate that had been highly resilient to traditional law enforcement'
Four men aged between 22 and 24 years old were charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs. Two men were released pending further inquiries and the woman was taken to Sydney's Villawood detention centre.
Following the arrests, police searched six properties in five Sydney suburbs.
They discovered one kilogram of pseudoephedrine, one ounce of methylamphetamine, passports suspected of being counterfeit, half a kilogram of powder believed to be precursor drugs, mobile phones, cash and documents.
The arrests and seizures follow earlier charges against two men in April by Strike Force Duperry, a joint drug trafficking investigation by the NSW Police Organised Crime Squad, the Australian Crime Commission and the NSW Crime Commission, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
Five suburb raid: Following the arrest of the young Chinese nationals in the western Sydney suburbs of Auburn (above) police searched properties in five suburbs and discovered one kilogram of pseudoephedrine, methylamphetamine, passports suspected of being counterfeit, half a kilogram of powder believed to be precursor drugs, mobile phones, cash and documents
Led away: The seven arrests by the Organised Crime Squad in the Sydney suburb of Auburn have led to four men being charged with commercial drug supply. More arrests are expected in the coming days
Previous raids: The strike force which uncovered the alleged 'Ice' trafficking operation linked to this week's arrrests (above) has also uncovered an SKS Assault Rifle, more than 300 rounds of ammunition, methylamphetamine worth $2 million, $870,000 worth of heroin and $18,000 in cash in earlier raids
Previous raids by the strike force last year and earlier this year have uncovered an SKS Assault Rifle, more than 300 rounds of ammunition, methylamphetamine worth $2 million, $870,000 worth of heroin and $18,000 in cash.
Joint intelligence analysis has identified that members of the drug syndicate were allegedly involved 42 kilograms of pseudoephedrine importation in sea freight from China, which was seized this month those allegedly responsible for the importation will be charged in the coming days.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said Strike Force Duperry served as another example of the importance of inter-agency partnerships in combating modern day organised crime groups.
'As we keep saying, contemporary organised crime syndicates are complex, multi-faceted, international operations, where criminals from a range of different backgrounds combine their resources to collectively increase their black market profits,' Commissioner Scipione said.
'To combat this new and increasingly complex black marketplace, we are working closer than ever with our partner agencies and, collectively, are causing more disruption and damage to illicit enterprises than we ever could working alone.'
Organised Crime Squad commander, Detective Superintendent Cook, said his detectives were working with police interstate and overseas.
'We’re confident many more syndicates will be dismantled in the months ahead,' Detective Superintendent Cook said.
Australian Crime Commission Chief Executive Officer Chris Dawson said the operation lead to the dismantling of a high risk serious and organised crime syndicate that had been highly resilient to traditional law enforcement approaches.
'The Australian Crime Commission’s involvement in this investigation stemmed from Eligo National Task Force, which is primarily focused on money laundering, but captures drug trafficking and manufacturing offences,' Mr Dawson said.
'The success of this operation in particular—the dismantling of this syndicate—is a direct result of state and Commonwealth agencies not only pooling their resources, but also their knowledge in regards to some of Australia’s highest risk criminal targets.'
AFP Acting National Manager Crime Operations Ian McCartney said the operation was a great example of the importance of law enforcement agencies working together to bring criminals to justice.
'The continued success of these joint operations demonstrates the effectiveness of cooperation between Commonwealth and state law enforcement agencies to detect and disrupt organised crime syndicates operating across international borders,' Mr McCartney said.
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