Australia: Three arrested after 415 kg of drugs seized by Sydney police

Sydney, Oct 15 Sydney police have arrested three men after seizing over 400 kg of drugs, as well as firearms and cash, during an investigation into a transnational organised crime network.

Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement on Wednesday that a strike force established to investigate the supply of drugs coordinated by a transnational network believed to be run out of Southeast Asia executed five search warrants at properties in western Sydney on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the searches, officers located and seized 415 kg of prohibited drugs, three pistols, more than 300 rounds of ammunition and 450,000 Australian dollars (293,135 US dollars) in cash.

Two 26-year-old males and a 19-year-old were arrested. All three were charged with supplying prohibited drugs in large commercial quantities, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

NSW Police said that the seized drugs included 287 kg of methamphetamine, 81 kg of heroin, 47 kg of cocaine and 838 grams of MDMA with a combined street value of 260 million Australian dollars (170 million US dollars).

An additional 20 kg of precursor chemicals was also seized.

Earlier in September, police in the southeast Australian state of Victoria said they had charged two men after locating 40 kilograms of cocaine in a vehicle.

A Victoria Police statement said that the vehicle was intercepted by officers around 6:20 a.m. local time on Tuesday in Melbourne's outer north as it was being driven back from the border with the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

A subsequent search of the vehicle located 40 kilograms of a substance believed to be cocaine, with an estimated street value of 14 million Australian dollars (9.3 million US dollars).

The two occupants of the car, men aged 19 and 20 from Melbourne's southeast suburbs, were arrested and both charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of cocaine and possessing a large commercial quantity of cocaine.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Victoria Police said that it will be alleged in court that the two men were utilising vehicles to transport drugs interstate on behalf of a wider criminal syndicate.

Detective Inspector Jamie Walker from the Major Drug Squad said that the syndicate would take a "massive monetary hit" as a result of the cocaine seizure.

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