A man has been charged and more than 100kg of prohibited drugs have been seized as part of an ongoing Organised Crime Squad investigation into drug importation and supply.
In March, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad established Strike Force Sharrock to investigate the importation and supply of prohibited drugs.
As part of ongoing investigations, strike force detectives arrested a 47-year-old man at South Penrith just after 5am on Friday, July 20.
Shortly after the arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at a nearby home, where they located and seized about 85kg of methylamphetamine, 13kg of cocaine, and 2kg of MDMA.
In total, the drugs have an estimated potential street value of more than $45 million.
The man was taken to Penrith Police Station and charged with three counts of large commercial drug supply.
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He was refused bail and appeared at Parramatta Bail Court, where he was formally refused bail to reappear at Penrith Local Court on Friday, September 14.
Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Damian Beaufils, said investigators will continue to target any organised criminal activities that impact on the safety of the community.
“The NSW Police Force – in partnership and cooperation with local and international law enforcement and intelligence agencies – has had significant success in recent years with the seizure of tonnes of illicit drugs and millions of dollars in cash, suspected to be proceeds of crime,” Det A/Supt Beaufils said.
“Strike Force Sharrock is another example of the squad’s continued dedication to tackling large-scale drug importation and supply – and we’re not done yet.
“We will continue to investigate source of the drugs, which includes ongoing targeting of importation attempts, as well as those involved in the manufacture of illicit substances, both here and abroad.”
Det A/Supt Beaufils added that despite large seizures of illicit drugs, demand in NSW remains far too high – and it is the most important issue to be addressed.
“We know that organised criminal groups are motivated by profit, and the unwavering demand within our community feeds right into their greed – there’s no hesitation in exploiting that demand for their own benefit,” Det A/Supt Beaufils said.
“Police and our partners will continue to do our job in terms of targeting these networks, but we need the community’s support to incite real cultural change in relation to drug use.
“By working together to reduce the demand, we can hit these illegitimate businesses where it hurts the most: on their bottom line.”
