Three men were charged for allegedly taking part in a transnational organised crime syndicate involved in a conspiracy to supply three tonnes of cocaine in Australia.
The three men who were arrested by the Law enforcement Agency in the Australian State of New South Wales, NSW, were refused bail.
According to reports, the men, aged 42, 37 and 58 respectively were arrested after a series of raids across Sydney and Lake Macquarie earlier on Thursday as a part of the ongoing investigation.
During the searches, investigators located and seized cash, electronic devices, documentation, and numerous mobile phones, including various encrypted devices.
In early 2020, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad received information relating to an individual gambling a significant amount of money at a casino.
During the following investigation detectives uncovered a significant transnational organised crime syndicate facilitating the importation of illicit drugs, operating across Australia and North and South America.
Acting on intelligence information from NSW Police Force, the U.S. navy and coast guard intercepted one vessel off the coast of Colombia in October 2020 and another vessel off the coast of Ecuador in April this year, with 1,770 kg of cocaine seized in total.
Police will allege in court that these illegal drugs formed part of a conspiracy to supply a total of 3,000 kg of cocaine, which has a total estimated potential street value of 900 million Australian dollars (about 689.44 million U.S. dollars).
NSW police noted that the investigation was still going on.
Xinhua/NAN
