Crime Correspondent: Sydney

David Wren, Gregory William Jones,John Michael Wilson have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug Heroin

Gregory William Jones, 48, of Balmain in Sydney's inner west, and John Michael Wilson, 54, of central Sydney, both appeared via videolink at Parramatta Bail Court. Both have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of heroin.Neither man applied for bail and it was formally refused.Both are due to appear at Central Local Court on March 26.A third NSW man, 57-year-old David Wren from Dapto, appeared at Wollongong Magistrates Court on the same charges.He made no application for bail and was remanded in custody to appear at Central Local Court on March 25. A fourth man, from Adelaide, is due to face the same charges in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday.It's the second major drug bust by the AFP, NSW Crime Commission and Customs in as many weeks.There have been about 200 separate heroin busts across Australia this year, netting 63kg of the drug.Australian authorities seized cash and drugs worth almost $10 million in raids across three states. Authorities allege the syndicate concealed 28 kilograms of heroin, with a potential street value of $8.4 million, in three wooden chests of drawers bound for Adelaide. The chests were intercepted in Sydney in February, then tracked to an address in Camden Park in Adelaide and back to Shellharbour, near Wollongong in NSW, by a joint-agency taskforce made up of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police, NSW Crime Commission and Customs. The taskforce seized the heroin and more than $1.5 million in international currency in raids in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane on Thursday. Police said they believed the cash, found in various locations, including the glovebox of a car, was the "proceeds of previous (drug-related) activity".

David Wren, Gregory William Jones,John Michael Wilson have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug Heroin

Gregory William Jones, 48, of Balmain in Sydney's inner west, and John Michael Wilson, 54, of central Sydney, both appeared via videolin...

50 year old man, and two women, aged 25 and 28 arrested $87 million worth of cocaine found hidden inside green tea packets

50-year-old Hurstville man and two women from Allawah, aged 28 and 25, were charged with importing and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine. The Hurstville man will also be charged with dealing with proceeds of crime worth $1 million or more under section 400.3 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The 28-year-old woman will appear in Sutherland Local Court today, while the other two people were refused bail to appear in Central Local Court today. It will be alleged in court that the syndicate concealed the cocaine in one kilogram portions inside packets labelled as green tea. The packets were contained in 10 boxes inside a shipping container of furniture. As a result of inquiries by JACG investigators, Customs officers inspected the shipping container upon its arrival in Sydney from South East Asia on Tuesday, 4 March and discovered the concealment. Over the past week, JACG members monitored the delivery of the consignment to a factory warehouse in Auburn in Sydney's west. Yesterday, search warrants were executed throughout the day at nine locations in Hurstville, Allawah, Rockdale, Auburn, Glebe and the Sydney CBD, during which the two women were arrested. The 50-year-250 kilograms of the powder was found hidden inside green tea packets, on a furniture shipping container, which arrived in Sydney on March 4.Sydney police and customs have seized $87 million worth of cocaine, found on a shipping container from South-east Asia, making it the fourth largest bust in Australian history. 'That's one quarter of a tonne of cocaine that won't be on the streets of Sydney tonight dealing misery,' said NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione.The breakthrough is the result of an eight week investigation by the Joint Asian Crime Group.The drugs were substituted and monitored for a week before search warrants were executed on nine Sydney properties, resulting in the arrests of a 50 year old man, and two women, aged 25 and 28. All are facing drug importation charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.Police have praised the operation, saying law enforcement in this country is up to the challenge of catching traffickers. 'This is further evidence of the Federal Police and the state police and customs and a number of other agencies working together to get the result that we've seen today,' said Mr Scipione.Police aren't ruling out the possibility of more arrests relating to the million dollar drug haul.

50 year old man, and two women, aged 25 and 28 arrested $87 million worth of cocaine found hidden inside green tea packets

50-year-old Hurstville man and two women from Allawah, aged 28 and 25, were charged with importing and attempting to possess a commercial qu...

Lauren Cullen prosecution did not oppose Cullen's application for bail, saying she was the mule in an extensive commercial operation.

Lauren Cullen, 24, is one of three people charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug.She was arrested at the Adelai...

smuggling almost 900 grams of heroin in internally concealed packages

Australian Federal Police (AFP) have arrested a woman for allegedly smuggling almost 900 grams of heroin in internally concealed packages.Au...

Nicholas Jake Barton

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglslA6yYkMPmS3f-IQr9jQogArlyoqxkiJgmg0k7QQTWO9nozuftpu8ifRxAZhIoI55EqcxGwe0SdrQoE2iyegxdx516l5VsUBEDAIM8JiNUQVyYp6EaiFdrHHPOj7826BkUPBYAFudMA/s1600-h/nicholasbarton_narrowweb__300x511,0.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151414137906719202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglslA6yYkMPmS3f-IQr9jQogArlyoqxkiJgmg0k7QQTWO9nozuftpu8ifRxAZhIoI55EqcxGwe0SdrQoE2iyegxdx516l5VsUBEDAIM8JiNUQVyYp6EaiFdrHHPOj7826BkUPBYAFudMA/s320/nicholasbarton_narrowweb__300x511,0.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Nicholas Jake Barton, 34,great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill was sentenced today to three years in an Australian prison for his role in a £5 million drug racket. whose mother Arabella was the wartime leader’s granddaughter, pleaded guilty in November to involvement in the scheme to manufacture thousands of ecstasy pills. He admitted to knowingly taking part in the supply of a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, a charge carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Barton, who bears a resemblance to Sir Winston, was arrested in June 2006 at his beachside flat in Sydney following a three-month undercover police investigation. Police found in a property he had sub-let about 250,000 ecstasy tablets, 26 lbs of MDMA - the powder used to make the drug - as well as drug-making equipment and £40,000 in cash during the raids. But District Court judge Colin Charteris found Barton had only a "belated" and limited role in the supply of the ecstasy tablets. “The fact the defendant is descended from a hero of the 20th century does not affect the sentence I must impose," said Justice Charteris, adding that it "was of historical importance only".

Nicholas Jake Barton

Nicholas Jake Barton, 34,great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill was sentenced today to three years in an Australian prison for his role in ...

Lidcombe and Homebush arrests

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsW8KBG_M4aQMB9uZkZ1gc-HUQ2EQVy9PLn9wBkceRce1X5_whzmDtxkpIkCW0Zt2-mWo_vJji-CovfhYo_FsIY9WCXjF_j2TyNg7G7hI2T95o2-LuktK4L3yu9dw8xe_kyPFGCPgKA8/s1600-h/200249.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150618314826508482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsW8KBG_M4aQMB9uZkZ1gc-HUQ2EQVy9PLn9wBkceRce1X5_whzmDtxkpIkCW0Zt2-mWo_vJji-CovfhYo_FsIY9WCXjF_j2TyNg7G7hI2T95o2-LuktK4L3yu9dw8xe_kyPFGCPgKA8/s320/200249.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Police arrested three men at homes in Lidcombe and Homebush, where they found the drugs as well as three firearms, a silencer, ammunition and magazines, precursor chemicals allegedly used in the manufacture of illegal drugs, and a number of MDMA tablets. All three were charged with possession of prohibited drugs and/or firearm offences. The arrests followed a joint operation involving officers from New South Wales and South Australia yesterday which resulted in the arrest and charging of two men and a woman at Adelaide Airport. Have been charged in relation to the seizure of cocaine and ice with an estimated street value of $1.3 million. Drugs with an estimated street value of $700,000 were allegedly detected in the luggage of a female passenger travelling on a flight from Sydney.

Lidcombe and Homebush arrests

Police arrested three men at homes in Lidcombe and Homebush, where they found the drugs as well as three firearms, a silencer, ammunition an...

Zambian women

two women, aged 31 and 29 years, had aroused the suspicion of the Customs officers at the Sydney airport and during questioning admitted con...