Sydney trio used fake mail addresses to bring cocaine into Australia from Serbia
Couriers used fake email addresses to import 5kg of cocaine from Serbia – before being caught and thrown behind bars
- Trio convicted of drug import conspiracy
- Group used fake email addresses
A group of men used fake email addresses to get cocaine shipped from Serbia to Australia, with two men exploiting their jobs as couriers to carry out the devious plan.
The Sydney trio – a 37-year-old from Pemulwuy, a 45-year-old from West Hoxton and a 54-year-old from Homebush – have now been sentenced to 15 years in prison for their role in the massive mail-order scheme to extract 5kg of cocaine. Import Serbia.
The last of the trio was sentenced by the Parramatta court on Friday.
A group of men used fake email addresses to get cocaine shipped from Serbia to Australia, with two men exploiting their jobs as couriers to carry out the devious plan (photo, footage of the arrest)
The last of the trio was sentenced by the Parramatta court on Friday
It followed a major Australian Federal Police investigation that began in September 2020.
In a statement, the AFP said two of the men worked for courier services and would have the drugs shipped to bogus addresses in Sydney.
They would then collect the drugs and pass them on to a third man for distribution.
Searches of the men’s property turned up approximately $67,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia and numerous containers with traces of white powder.
“The packages seized at all locations had identical packaging, concealed methods and details of the sender and the consignee,” said an AFP spokesman.
“Police are working with international partners to identify the source of the drugs and anyone else involved.”
Last October, a 45-year-old man from West Hoxton and a 54-year-old man from Homebush pleaded guilty in Parramatta District Court to respectively importing and trafficking a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
The West Hoxton man was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
The Homebush man received a six-year prison sentence.
On Friday, a Pemulwuy man, 37, pleaded guilty to importing a quantity of a border-controlled drug.
He was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison.
Searches of the men’s property turned up approximately $67,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia, and numerous containers with traces of white powder
“The packages seized at all locations had identical packaging, concealed methods and sender and recipient details,” said an AFP spokesman.
AFP Chief Inspector Morgen Blunden said the outcome should serve as a clear warning to criminals.
“While much imported airmail or airfreight may seem like relatively small amounts of illegal substances, they add up to millions of individual street deals and can cause significant damage,” Chief Inspector Blunden said.
‘Illegal drug use also places a significant burden on the Australian economy; the estimated total social cost for every kilogram of illegal drug or cocaine is more than $640,000 from crime, lost productivity, emergency care, and increased health care costs.
“The community needs to be aware that their illicit drug use funds violent transnational serious organized crime groups, which may also be involved in other heinous crimes such as human trafficking and sexual slavery.”