Australia a Drug Paradise?

Bottega SG

Australian police claim 'world's largest seizure of ecstasy'

SYDNEY: Australian Customs and police Friday announced they had seized 4.4 tonnes of ecstasy tablets, in what they said was the biggest haul of the illicit drug anywhere in the world.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the seizure of the drugs, which were concealed in tins of tomato shipped to Australia from Italy, had resulted in the arrests of 16 people across the country in pre-dawn raids.

Authorities had worked for more than a year to track the syndicate behind the drugs after Customs discovered the ecstasy hidden inside more than 3,000 tins, each weighing about 1.5 kilogrammes, in June 2007.

Customs officials replaced the ecstasy with an inert substance and monitored the consignment but the arrests were brought closer two weeks ago when a coffee bean shipment carrying 150 kilogrammes of cocaine was detected in Melbourne.

Keelty said the drugs were part of a global syndicate and the seizures would be "a major disruption to transnational organised crime, both in this country and abroad."

He said the ecstasy haul had been kept secret until now to allow the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Customs to carry out their investigations.

"There have been 185,000 telephone intercepts in this operation, there have been 400 members of the AFP deployed to this operation, there have been 10,000 hours of surveillance deployed to this operation to find the perpetrators of this world's largest seizure and importation into our country," he said.

Keelty said Australian and European police were attempting to stop the syndicate from trafficking and that search warrants had already been issued in Belgium and the Netherlands.

"It is classic organised crime and we have done our best to shut down the syndicate," he told reporters.

Customs chief executive Michael Carmody said the bust was the result of "small snippets of information".

"This is a great result. This is what makes getting up in the morning and coming to work worthwhile," Carmody said.

- AFP/yb

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/365753/1/.html

lionnoisy SG

Drugs abuse is very common in Oz .

Abusers have their registered and formal association to

protect and promotes their rights!!

I can bet with u a platoon of lawyers will line up to defend

for those arrested.

Drugs lord cant operate alone.

U need police in the street close one eye .

Corruptions?U say lah.

10% of people in Oz posses guns.

Gun shots and drugs are very common in Oz.

The location of Oz indicate the end users of the drugs seized

is in Oz!!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24147320-601,00.html

Milanda Rout | August 08, 2008

FEDERAL police have smashed an international drug syndicate after seizing a world-record 4.4 tonnes of ecstasy.

More than 16 people across Australia have been arrested over the drugs which have an estimated value of almost half-a-billion dollars.

The joint AFP and Customs investigation uncovered the huge haul last June in a shipping container full of canned tomatoes from Europe and spent the past 12 months tracking the syndicate behind it.

Another shipment of drugs which arrived in Melbourne this year contained three bags of cocaine weighing about 150kg.

The investigation has also uncovered a money laundering operation worth more than $9 million that has allegedly been used to pay for the illegal drugs.

There were more than 105,000 telephone intercepts and 10,000 hours of surveillance done by police officers before dawn raids on properties in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Tasmania this morning.

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty said the crime syndicate behind the ecstasy haul was responsible for 60 per cent of the importation of such drugs into Australia.

He said it was a "great result'' for the AFP, Customs and all the investigating officers involved.

"This is a major disruption to trans-national crime,'' the commissioner said.

lionnoisy SG

2.Case 2---3 fire arms seized and 7 arrested but bailed

http://www.theage.com.au/national/muscle-car-seized-in-drug-swoop-20080807-3ran.html

Victorian police have charged seven people and allegedly seized drugs, cash, firearms and luxury cars in a series of raids following a seven-month operation.

- Raids on seven properties
- Drugs, cash,(3) firearms, cars seized
- Seven people charged

lionnoisy SG

old news but u can appreciate the deep roots of corruptions--

even a Premier got money from gangster who

controlled the vice trade, including illegal gambling and prostitution, in every state except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, and bribed a host of politicians and policemen to ensure he was protected.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dad-paid-off-askin-and-lent-packer-money/2008/07/27/1217097059696.html

Kate McClymontJuly 28, 2008