Australian Police Seize $170 Million Worth of Drugs and Guns in Raid
Australian police announced on Wednesday that they had seized a massive haul of drugs worth $170 million and guns in a raid on a group likely linked to an attempted organized crime hit near a Sydney daycare facility last week. The raid is part of a broader operation to dismantle a transnational criminal syndicate believed to be run out of Southeast Asia.
New South Wales police had previously foiled an attempted murder by a so-called “kill team” and arrested three men involved. The latest raid has yielded a significant amount of drugs, including 880 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and heroin, as well as 20 kilograms of precursor chemicals. The estimated street value of the haul is Aus$260 million ($170 million).
Link to Attempted Organized Crime Hit
Organized Crime Squad Commander Peter Faux stated that the syndicate was “highly likely” linked to last week’s attempted killing. He also suggested that there may be connections to the abduction and killing of a Sydney mother in April, which was linked to a Vietnamese-connected organized crime network. The police have released a video showing officers wearing oxygen masks and images of the purported drugs being seized.
The video also shows at least one suspect being detained and led away by police. Other police images depict a squad of armed officers searching one of the hideouts, where sealed drug packages were found littered on the floor. Some of the packages featured a picture of a cartoon bear made famous in the 2012 Mark Wahlberg comedy “Ted,” while another bag had red Chinese characters reading “smooth sailing.”
Arrests and Charges
Three men aged between 19 and 26 were arrested and charged with a raft of drug supply offenses. The police also seized three pistols and more than 300 rounds of ammo. The lucrative black market for drugs in Australia has drawn the attention of sophisticated criminal networks, including the Triads of Southeast Asia and the cartels of South America.
Last month, authorities charged three Sydney dockworkers over a massive shipment of cocaine in a law enforcement investigation into trusted insiders importing illicit drugs into Australia. In 2024, Australian police busted a drug trafficking ring dubbed “The Commission” that brought more than a ton of cocaine into the country in just a few months.
Wealthy Australians are willing to pay some of the highest prices in the world for drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, making the country a prime target for international criminal organizations. The latest raid is a significant blow to these organizations and demonstrates the Australian police’s commitment to combating organized crime.
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