3 days ago
Sydney man Gurvindar Singh alleged mastermind of illegal tobacco, drug ring
A man with no criminal record or prior underworld connections is the alleged mastermind behind a plot to import 20 million illegal cigarettes and almost half a tonne of drugs into Sydney.
Gurvindar Singh, 42, faces a maximum penalty of life in jail if convicted.
In total, police allege they have tied back 50 kilograms of cocaine from Panama, 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 280kg of liquid meth from Canada to Mr Singh.
Police alleged they tracked Mr Singh and his associates using a messaging app, with undercover officers and telephone intercepts, before sweeping raids over the weekend.
One of the intercepts, police will allege in court, captured Mr Singh saying "it's fake" when he realised police had swapped the 50kg of cocaine for an inert substance.
The drugs were allegedly hidden inside cement bags imported from Panama into Port Botany last week.
Police will allege Mr Singh enlisted the help of Canadians Aman Kang, 24, and Mani Singh Dhaliwal, 31, who are related by marriage, to sell the drugs to crime networks.
Both have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of drugs and have also been refused bail.
It is also alleged in court documents that when the drugs arrived in the cement bags, Mr Singh wanted to sell the cement they arrived in too.
Police will allege Mr Singh netted $443,000 in proceeds of crime after selling some of the illegal cigarettes on the lucrative Sydney black market.
The tobacco had allegedly been illegally imported from the UAE in January.
Police accuse Mr Singh of using a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl to import more than 20 million cigarettes in three consignments.
The police statement of facts in this case reveals that police have been watching Mr Singh and six associates for two years under a team called the Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST).
The MAST began the investigation looking for workers at ports of entry into the country helping to smuggle in drugs, before evidence led them to the men who were later charged.
Police say they first identified Mr Singh as the alleged ringleader when they uncovered a plot to import 280kg of liquid meth in August 2024 from Vancouver.
Police will allege they charged two men with a raft of drug offences after observing them attempting to cool and extract the liquid meth in Riverstone.
Mr Singh has been charged with five counts of importing a commercial quantity of drugs and border-controlled tobacco, two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime and two relating to his role in leading a criminal group.
The most serious charges carry a maximum sentence of life in jail, but Mr Singh has not entered any pleas to the offences.
He appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday, where his lawyer, Ahmed Dib, argued for his release on bail.
Part of his argument to remain in the community was that Mr Singh had a series of health conditions, was the breadwinner for his family, and was willing to put up his house as a surety.
He was denied bail and will remain in custody until his next court appearance at the Downing Centre Local Court next month.
Mr Dib was contacted by the ABC but he declined to comment on the case.
