Five men have been charged following an ongoing investigation into the supply of commercial quantities of drugs within shipping containers.
Investigations of a criminal syndicate allegedly using the “rip on, rip off” method to access prohibited drugs concealed in legitimate shipping containers began in May of this year.
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Strike Force Biles, established to investigate the syndicate have already seized 201kg of cocaine from three containers, with an estimated street value of $105 million.
Just after 6am on Thursday, strike force detectives executed eight search warrants across seven locations.
During the searchs, police located a number of items relevant to their investigation including $37,000 cash, four kilograms of methylamphetamine, three kilograms of cocaine, a replica firearm, ammunition, electronics and luxury jewellery and watches.
All the items were seized to undergo further forensic examination.
At a Woodpark address, an 18-year-old was arrested who allegedly directed the local criminal syndicate in “ripping off” containers and charged with 12 offences.
An 18-year-old in Merrylands and 18-year-old in Bondi were charged with seven and 11 offences respectively.
A 28-year-old man was arrested at a Plumpton address where he was charged with eight offences, while a 25-year-old man in Seven Hills was also charged with a number of offences.
The full media release can be read here.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.