50kg of methamphetamine intercpeted six men arrested | WPN World People News

A joint operation between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) resulted in the arrest of six men in Sydney.

The AFP will allege in court that all of the men arrested were involved in the illegal importation of approximately 50kg of methamphetamine (with a street value of approximately $42 million) and were attempting to receive packages of the drugs one day ago to distribute into the Australian community.

The operation began last month when ACBPS officers selected a consignment labelled as a ‘boiler’ from China for examination. The inspection showed anomalies in the boiler and a deconstruction revealed a white crystalline substance within it.

Initial testing indicated the substance was methamphetamine and the matter was referred to the AFP.

The AFP commenced an investigation in relation to the consignment which involved the delivery of a container to an address in Merrylands, NSW. Yesterday (Saturday 5 July 2014) the consignment was accessed and the contents were taken to a hotel in Bass Hill.

AFP officers arrested six men and charged them with:
•Importation of a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, under section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995.
•Attempt to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, under section 307.5 by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code 1995.

The men are all Taiwanese nationals aged between 27 and 46 years and will appear at the Parramatta Local Court today (Sunday 6 July 2014) to face charges that carry a possible sentence of life imprisonment or fines of more than one million dollars.

AFP Manager Crime Operations, Commander Jennifer Hurst said that these arrests should send a strong signal to those wishing to import and distribute illicit drugs that it is not worth it.

“This operation began with the interception by our partners at ACBPS. The investigation we conducted led to the arrest of not only the receiver but distributors awaiting this consignment,” said Commander Hurst

“The AFP and its partner agencies will continue to target all points of an illicit drug supply network from the organiser through to the distributor.”

ACBPS Regional Commander NSW, Tim Fitzgerald said that this is a significant seizure for both agencies.

“No matter how these prohibited substances are concealed, our highly trained officers have the intelligence, technology and expertise to detect these dangerous drugs and seize them at the border which leads to arrests such as these,” said Mr Fitzgerald.

“Our solid partnership with the Australian Federal Police means we can continue this work past the border, and stop dangerous drugs from reaching the streets.”

Investigations into this matter remain ongoing.

Source: Australian Federal Police