Three persons have been prosecuted after it was allegedly discovered that a criminal organisation with its headquarters in Mexico had imported plastic pallets filled with $76 million worth of methamphetamine into Australia. One of those three is a 40-year-old man who owns a fruit and vegetable business on Sydney’s north shore.
Along with two US men, aged 42 and 34, who allegedly came in Sydney in April 2023 from Fiji and the US to arrange the importation of the drugs, the Hornsby man served as the alleged Australian liaison for the network.
According to authorities, the network sent 375 kg of methamphetamine from five consignments that were confiscated by the AFP and its partners in Sydney and Los Angeles between April 2022 and February 2023.
In February in Los Angeles, police allegedly discovered methamphetamine concealed within 13 shipping pallets.
The males were detained at two different locations: one in Newtown and one in Marsden Park, the purported locations of the drugs.
The males were remanded in custody and ordered to appear again on July 27 after making an appearance in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on May 2.
Each of them was accused of trying to have a commercial amount of a substance that was under border control.
They risk a 25-year sentence.
Sharing intelligence with international law enforcement partners, according to AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy, was essential to the cocaine bust.
In order to gather and analyse the intelligence that directly led to the arrest of 375kg of illicit substances worldwide, Cressy noted that the AFP’s connection with its foreign law enforcement partners was essential.
“The detention of three individuals here in Australia and their affiliation with a larger cartel with a base in Mexico gives us valuable insight into the workings of organised crime groups and will help us and our partners create a hostile environment for them to operate in,” said the statement.
