A trio has been charged with allegedly trafficking illicit drugs and criminal proceeds in secret vehicle compartments. Photo: Australian Federal Police.
Three men have been charged with allegedly possessing and trafficking more than 55 kilograms of illicit drugs, with an estimated street value of more than $11 million, hidden in secret compartments.
The AFP alleges a NSW man and two Victorian men were key members of an organised criminal syndicate suspected of concealing illicit drugs, including cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine, within a fleet of vehicles and transporting them from Sydney to Melbourne this year.
The men allegedly used purpose-built hides, located in the rear seat area of Toyota Camry sedans, to conceal and transport the illicit drugs and more than $1 million of criminal proceeds.
On 25 June, police executed several search warrants for a vehicle in Wagga Wagga and residential properties in Deer Park, Niddrie, and Maribyrnong in Victoria. They allegedly located and seized illicit drugs, including 22 kilograms of cocaine, three kilograms of MDMA, one kilogram of methamphetamine, a quantity of cash, and two loaded firearms.
The AFP arrested a 20-year-old man from NSW at Maribyrnong and a 23-year-old Niddrie man at Deer Park. They were charged with one count of trafficking a commercial quantity of controlled drug and one count of possessing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drug that was reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported.
On 28 June 2024, police identified a third man allegedly linked to the organised crime syndicate and executed a search warrant at a Craigieburn property. Investigators seized various electronic devices for further forensic analysis and arrested another 23-year-old man.
Police allege the man was responsible for 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, five kilograms of cocaine and more than $1 million of suspected criminal proceeds located and seized in the flooring of a van at Airport West on 16 May.
The Craigieburn man was charged with two counts of trafficking a commercial quantity of controlled drug, two counts of possessing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drug that were reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported, and dealing with money or property believed to be proceeds of crime. At the time of dealing, the value of the money or property was $1 million or more.
All three men have been remanded in custody and are scheduled to reappear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 29 October. They each face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher said police suspected the vehicles were modified with secret compartments to conceal a significant amount of illicit drugs in a failed attempt to evade detection from authorities.
“Organised criminal syndicates will continue to evolve and devise creative new concealment methods to avoid detection from law enforcement,” Det Supt Butcher said.
“Our message to criminals is clear: your efforts will fail and the AFP is always one step ahead of your plans.
“I would like to thank the AFP officers involved in the investigation and highlight their relentless efforts to disrupt criminal syndicates causing Australians immense harm through the vile drug trade.”
Det Supt Butcher said the amount of illicit drugs seized from this syndicate had an estimated street value of more than $11 million and had the potential to facilitate more than 37,500 individual street deals, if it had reached Australian streets.
“This seizure demonstrates the importance of collaboration between the AFP and Victoria Police, working tirelessly together to disrupt attempts by organised crime groups to import and traffic large quantities of illicit drugs into Australia.
“The AFP would also like to alert members of the public about purpose-built compartments in vehicles used to hide illicit commodities and encourage people to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au, to report suspicious activity anonymously.”
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