Seven men charged with attempting to import hundreds of kilos of drugs
Seven men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates.
A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates.
A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe.
On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone.
Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney.
He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences.
He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024.
During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences.
Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags.
It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW.
On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park.
The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences.
Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group.
The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug.
As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.Seven men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates.
A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates.
A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe.
On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone.
Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney.
He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences.
He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024.
During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences.
Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags.
It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW.
On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park.
The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences.
Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group.
The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug.
As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.Seven men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates.
A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates.
A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe.
On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone.
Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney.
He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences.
He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024.
During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences.
Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags.
It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW.
On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park.
The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences.
Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group.
The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug.
As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.Seven men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates.
A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates.
A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe.
On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone.
Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney.
He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences.
He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024.
During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences.
Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags.
It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW.
On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park.
The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences.
Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group.
The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug.
As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.
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The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Seven men charged with attempting to import hundreds of kilos of drugs
Seven men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates. A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates. A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe. On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone. Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney. He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences. He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024. During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences. Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates. In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags. It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW. On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park. The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences. Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group. The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug. As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates. A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates. A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe. On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone. Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney. He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences. He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024. During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences. Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates. In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags. It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW. On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park. The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences. Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group. The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug. As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates. A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates. A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe. On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone. Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney. He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences. He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024. During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences. Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates. In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags. It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW. On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park. The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences. Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group. The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug. As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal men have been charged with major drug and tobacco importation offences following a multi-agency investigation into transnational crime syndicates. A Multi-Agency Strike Team (MAST), comprising officers from policing and government agencies, targeted "trusted insiders" in these syndicates. A 42-year-old man using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl, in southwestern Sydney, to import more than 280kg of liquid methamphetamine from Canada was detected as part of the probe. On August 5, 2024, two men, aged 43 and 31, were allegedly observed accessing a cooler with the drugs at a location in Riverstone. Police arrested the 43-year-old man at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, in western Sydney. He was taken to Penrith Police Station, where he was charged with 17 drug and criminal offences. He was refused bail and appeared in Penrith Local Court on August 6, 2024. During another search warrant in Box Hill that same month, a 31-year-old man was arrested over drug offences. Police continued to investigate the 42-year-old man, who allegedly continued to use the freight forwarding company to import three separate consignments, containing more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates. In May 2025, MAST investigators established that the man was planning to import 50kg of cocaine in a shipping container from Panama, concealed in cement bags. It will be further alleged that the 42-year-old sought the assistance of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the cocaine from the cement bags and onward supply it to organised crime groups in NSW. On May 30, MAST investigators arrested four men in Wetherill Park. The men were taken to Fairfield Police Station, where the 42-year-old man was charged with a range of drug offences. Another 42-year-old man was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and participating in a criminal group. The two Canadian nationals, aged 24 and 31, were both charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful drug. As a result of further inquiries, MAST detectives arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport on May 31 and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Two Canadians among multiple arrested in Sydney over massive illegal tobacco, drugs bust
A multi-agency taskforce has uncovered a huge illegal tobacco and drugs ring, seizing millions of cigarettes and more than 300kg of cocaine and liquid meth. For almost two years the law enforcement agencies have been investigating a 42-year-old Sydney man they allege is the ringleader. NSW Police, Australian Federal Police, Border Force and other agencies believe the group had been using "trusted insiders" at ports of entry into Australia to smuggle drugs. The "MAST" — or Multi Agency Strike Team — in July 2024 intercepted 280kg of liquid methamphetamine coming from Vancouver, Canada. The team kept an eye on the shipment but did not intervene, with the aim to track down alleged culprits. By August 4, 2024, police said they observed two men attempting to cool and extract the liquid methamphetamine in Riverstone. A 43-year-old man was arrested later that night at a fast-food restaurant in Londonderry, which police say led them to find a "methamphetamine cookbook". The man was charged with several serious drug importation offences. The same day, police said they arrested a 31-year-old man and charged him with participating in a criminal group. The 42-year-old who police allege is a ringleader, they also accuse of being behind the July 2024 consignment. He was allegedly using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl to import the shipments into the country. The taskforce continued to investigate the 42-year-old, who they accuse of continuing to use the freight company to import cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates. Police will allege when they intercepted the shipments they located 20 million illegal cigarettes. In May this year, police allege they established the same man was behind a plot to import 50kg of cocaine concealed in cement blocks from Panama. Police will allege in court the ringleader enlisted the help of two men, who flew in from Canada, to retrieve the drugs from the cement blocks and sell it to organised crime networks in Sydney. The culmination of their investigation came last Friday when they swarmed on a Wetherill Park property and arrested the 42-year-old ringleader, the two Canadians and another 42-year-old man. They have all been charged with a raft of serious drug importation, proceeds of crime and criminal group offences and appeared at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday. All were refused bail and had their cases adjourned to be heard again at the Downing Centre on different dates across June and July. It came as NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday called for the federal government to reassess the tobacco excise to stop the lucrative black market funding organised crime. Mr Minns again doubled down on his calls to the federal government during a press conference on Tuesday, telling reporters it was a policy that was "just not working". "This is another element of federal policy we believe needs to change," Mr Minns said. "This will be the only tax in the history of the world that has doubled and revenue has declined by 33 per cent. "Where is all that money going … into the illegal tobacco sector." Speaking to ABC Radio Sydney, former federal police officer Rohan Pike said the federal government's tobacco excise had created an opportunity for organised crime networks to undercut the legal trade. Mr Pike helped set up Australian Border Force's illegal tobacco taskforce. "Clearly the exponential rise in the excise has allowed criminal syndicates an opportunity to undercut that legal market and now that the cigarettes are about a third of the price its obviously attractive to consumers," he said. "It's definitely something that should be considered … the rate needs to be reviewed. "One of the problems they're facing now is the market is entrenched, people are used ot the illicit product."
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Family of four dies in blizzard while crossing border
More than three years after a family of four from India froze to death while trying to enter the US along a remote stretch of the Canadian border in a blizzard, the alleged ringleader of an international human smuggling plot was sentenced in Minnesota on Wednesday to 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors had recommended nearly 20 years for Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, and nearly 11 years for the driver who was supposed to pick them up, Steve Anthony Shand. Shand also was to be sentenced Wednesday. The two men appeared before US District Judge John Tunheim, who declined last month to set aside the guilty verdicts, writing, 'This was not a close case'. The judge handed down the sentences at the federal courthouse in the northwestern Minnesota city of Fergus Falls, where the two men were tried and convicted on four counts apiece last November. Prosecutors said during the trial that Patel, an Indian national who they say went by the alias 'Dirty Harry', and Shand, a US citizen from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that brought dozens of people from India to Canada on student visas and then smuggled them across the US border. They said the victims, Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found their bodies just north of the border between Manitoba and Minnesota on January 19, 2022. The family was from Dingucha, a village in the western Indian state of Gujarat, as was Harshkumar Patel. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to the defendant. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. So many villagers have gone overseas in hopes of better lives — legally and otherwise — that many homes there stand vacant. The father died while trying to shield Dharmik's face from a 'blistering wind' with a frozen glove, prosecutor Michael McBride wrote. Vihangi was wearing 'ill-fitting boots and gloves'. Their mother 'died slumped against a chain-link fence she must have thought salvation lay behind,' McBride wrote. A nearby weather station recorded the wind chill that morning at -38C. Seven other members of their group survived the foot crossing, but only two made it to Shand's van, which was stuck in the snow on the Minnesota side. One woman who survived had to be flown to a hospital with severe frostbite and hypothermia. Another survivor testified he had never seen snow before arriving in Canada. Their inadequate winter clothes were only what the smugglers provided, the survivor told the jury. Police say a backpack full of baby gear uncovered during a human smuggling arrest in Minnesota led them to a devastating discovery near the US-Canada border. Credit: Royal Canadian Mounted Police Manitoba 'Mr. Patel has never shown an ounce of remorse. Even today, he continues to deny he is the 'Dirty Harry' that worked with Mr. Shand on this smuggling venture — despite substantial evidence to the contrary and counsel for his co-defendant identifying him as such at trial,' McBride wrote. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 19 years and 7 months for Patel, at the top end of the recommended range under federal sentencing guidelines for his actions. They asked for Shand's sentence to be 10 years and 10 months, in the middle of his separate guidelines range. 'Even as this family wandered through the blizzard at 1am, searching for Mr. Shand's van, Mr. Shand was focused on one thing, which he texted Mr. Patel: 'we not losing any money,'' McBride wrote. 'Worse, when Customs and Border Patrol arrested Mr. Shand sitting in a mostly unoccupied 15-passenger van, he denied others were out in the snow — leaving them to freeze without aid.' Patel's attorneys, who have argued that the evidence was insufficient, did request a government-paid attorney for his planned appeal. Patel has been jailed since his arrest at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago in February 2024 and claimed in the filing to have no income and no assets. Shand has been free pending sentencing. His attorney called the government's requested sentence 'unduly punitive' and requested just 27 months. The attorney, federal defender Aaron Morrison, acknowledged that Shand has 'a level of culpability' but argued that his role was limited — that he was just a taxi driver who needed money to support his wife and six children. 'Mr. Shand was on the outside of the conspiracy, he did not plan the smuggling operation, he did not have decision-making authority, and he did not reap the huge financial benefits as the real conspirators did,' Morrison wrote.
