Foreign
THREE men were on Friday charged for allegedly taking part in a transnational organized crime syndicate involved in a conspiracy to supply three tonnes of cocaine throughout the state.
Law enforcement agencies in the Australian State of New South Wale (NSW) arrested the three men.
The three men, aged 42, 37, and 58 respectively were arrested after a series of raids across Sydney and Lake Macquarie earlier on Thursday as a part of the ongoing investigation.
All the three men were refused bail.
During the searches, investigators located and seized cash, electronic devices, documentation, and numerous mobile phones, including various encrypted devices.
In early 2020, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad received information relating to an individual gambling a significant amount of money at a casino.
During the following investigation, detectives uncovered a significant transnational organized crime syndicate facilitating the importation of illicit drugs, operating across Australia and North and South America.
Acting on intelligence information from NSW Police Force, the U.S. navy and coast guard intercepted one vessel off the coast of Colombia in October 2020 and another vessel off the coast of Ecuador in April this year, with 1,770 kg of cocaine seized in total.
Police will allege in court that these illegal drugs formed part of a conspiracy to supply a total of 3,000 kg of cocaine, which has a total estimated potential street value of 900 million Australian dollars (about 689.44 million U.S. dollars).
NSW police said the investigation is still going on. (Xinhua/NAN)
– June 04, 2021 @ 11:09 GMT
Tags: Aussie police disrupt conspiracy to supply 3 tonnes of cocaine
