Officers also found a loaded handgun, firearm parts, ammunition and $26,000 cash. queensland 12:17pm Apr 29, 2023 120kg of cocaine found inside shipping container by ABF Micalizzi, who claimed he was threatened into flying to Perth by Oz and Bowa over a $20,000 drug debt and had no knowledge of the drugs, would later say he "took a gamble in court". "That's $33 million worth of drugs that have been taken out of play," Mr Papalia said. The footage then switches to the operational centre before moving to the dramatic moment tactical response group officers storm the beach at Moore River to arrest the three men aboard the vessel Cool Runnings. The nets are so heavy that at one point officers can be seen kicking them into the ocean, 80km off the WA coast on December 28, 2022. They also seized 16kg of ox blood methylamphetamine, 3kg of gold bullion, 300g of cocaine and more than $320,000 cash from multiple properties across the metropolitan area on Wednesday. But during his trial in the WA District Court, Judge Christopher Stevenson said the duo had played a "dangerous game of Russian Roulette" trying to incriminate each other, "the last refuge of a desperate man to avoid any criminal liability". Western Australian police search a boat allegedly used to retrieve a package about 40 nautical miles off Perths coast. Police have released CCTV vision in an appeal for information after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted at a bus stop. The meth was replaced with a harmless substance and repacked before the cargo was released to be collected and the sting was on. It was a sweet deal for somebody living off the generosity of friends and family. With his eyes glued to the yoke, dials and switches, Santos hadn't spotted the small army of uniformed officers. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said officers had been watching the fake drugs for two days using drones and officers on the ground when they spotted one vessel, the Catalina, trying to find the illegal cargo. Key points: An operation between US and Australian police has resulted in the seizure of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine bound for WA Shit happens.". exclusive Three men charged over alleged plot to bring $100m worth of meth into WA Daryna Zadvirna The West Australian Tue, 4 January 2022 10:00AM The picture above shows the gripping moment in a suburb south-east of Perth when an alleged highly planned importation of 99kg of meth came to a dramatic end. Western Australian Police seized a small vessel on 28 December, with intelligence suggesting that alleged members of the syndicate were unaware and still expecting to receive the shipment. Two people were arrested and charged with laundering money from proceeds of a major offence. At the same time, he said, another much smaller boat, Cool Runnings, left Hillarys Boat Harbour to help. One - struggling to navigate the West Australian waters - beaching 70 kilometres north of Perth. Organised crime squad detectives charged two men aged 44 and another aged 38 in connection with cash and drugs. He added that implementing collaborative and innovative strategies in police intelligence would be key to tackling future drug activity. Western Australias new police commissioner has used his first press conference to provide details about an alleged organised-crime drugs sting, which included the seizure of cars and gold bullion. Among those arrested were the crew aboard the Catalina, who are also seen in the police footage. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Ayik, then in his early 30s, had made a fortune by forging alliances with Chinese triads, Indian chemical suppliers, the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang and known underworld figures to create a multi-billion dollar international drug syndicate spanning across continents. The consignment was loaded onto the ship in Asia, however investigations will continue into the source of the drugs. It is alleged that members of the syndicate then used two boats - Catalina and Cool Runnings - to make several attempts to find and retrieve the cargo. Peta Rasdien. The raid was the result of a six-month investigation into drug trafficking, dubbed Operation Miami. Being a playboy: Musicians shock take on WOMANISING, Terri Irwin UNRECOGNISABLE in stunning new look. A Perth school community has been rocked after one of its teachers was charged with indecently recording four students. It is the second significant drug bust by the Caulfield DRU in just three days. Australian Federal Police have charged four people after seizing eight kilograms of methamphetamine during an investigation into a suspected Vietnamese drug trafficking syndicate in Perth. The successful operation led to 12 arrests. Cool Runnings had issues with steering and washed ashore south of Moore River. The WA drug bust that changed Australian law enforcement forever. Sign up for Guardian Australias free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup. On Saturday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch revealed how local and international officers outwitted cartels who attempted to bring the countrys biggest-ever stash of drugs onshore via Perth beaches, replacing the cocaine with plaster of paris before swooping on the alleged smugglers. Get exclusive discounts on movie tickets, dining and popular attractions. It wasnt an unusual occurrence. Read more:How laughing gas addiction 'messed up' man's lifeCocaine worth 35m found on small boat in SussexNitrous oxide is being sold on the streets. Every single day someone chooses to traffick drugs they are engaging in a dangerous game of roulette. It was given to the Australian Federal Police for testing, coming back as positive to meth. Police have revealed details of a covert international operation that stopped 2.4 tonnes of cocaine, worth $1 billion, from reaching Western Australia, in what is believed to be the nation's biggest-ever drug bust. Police smash drug ring allegedly run by 24-year-old, 'The Kid' The force said on Tuesday 52 charges were laid as part of the operation, and six guns and 3000 rounds of ammunition seized. Biggest drug bust in Australian history: Cocaine worth $1 billion As the Aztec dived towards the runway at Jandakot, 20 kilometres south of Perth, Santos' only passenger tattooed 20-something-year-old Australian-Italian Joseph Micalizzi was finally waking up from his 15-hour drug-fuelled slumber. This was an opportunity to catch the syndicate, the group of people that were capable of receiving it, landing it and then distributing it across Australia. Drugs & Alcohol | The West Australian Joseph Davids, 32, Darren Dexter Fletcher, 35, and Reece Raymond Neil OConnor, 31, likely didn't learn the truth until they were hauled before court the next day. Its buyer, a former 747 Qantas pilot and mining, military and medical industries surplus trader, planned to donate it to a Jandakot-based tertiary education centre to train prospective engineers in disassembling aeroplanes. So were working very closely, offshore, with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Homeland Security Investigations, on who thought it was a good idea to send drugs to Western Australia, because we wont tolerate that in this state. March 4, 2023 3:36AM Topics Crime Courts & Justice Perth WA News Extraordinary footage of the biggest drug bust in Australian history which resulted in WA Police arresting a dozen people with alleged links to a Mexican drug cartel off our beautiful but hostile coast has been released. In a cunning plan to trap them, police substituted the cargo for fake cocaine using identical packaging. Operation Hoffman, a sting designed by Australia's most secretive and powerful law enforcement agency, the Australian Crime Commission, would topple a billion-dollar empire extending across two continents and send a drug lord into hiding. It is alleged more than $2 million cash was found in the vehicle. Ellenbrook drug bust: Three people charged after 7.3kg of cannabis But after the deal fell through, Mr Pavlinovic, who buys and sells everything from jet engines to power tools, dismantled the plane to sell it for parts to the highest bidder. WA cops crack cartels mega $1b drug shipment. AFP and ABF officers swooped on the trio as they left the site in a white van, resulting in a dramatic collision after the men allegedly tried to evade police. Midland Detectives are investigating an attempted aggravated armed robbery that occurred on Sunday 23 April 2023, in Beechboro. On the morning of December 29, two men arrived to allegedly pick up the boxes of pillows and take them back to a house in Maddington. The biggest drug bust in Australian history has been pulled off by WA Police after an undercover operation led to the seizure of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth about $1 billion dollars. The meth could have fetched nearly $10 million on Perth streets. "Ah, we have an issue here," Detective Morrish said as he peeked inside the bag. 20:54 EDT 04 Jan 2022 Police seized 6kg of methylamphetamine and more than $59,000 cash from a vehicle and properties in suburban Perth last Sunday. Get the news you want delivered to your inbox. AFP officers were monitoring a Noranda home on Monday . The drugs had a street value of around 562.9m ($1bn Australian dollars), and were equivalent to half of Australia's estimated annual consumption, according to police. Confused by the 'sustainability' label on your favourite can of tuna? From Whyalla they travelled to Forrest, a popular refuelling stop more than 1100km east of Perth, near the South Australian border. READ MORE COMMENTS FROM THE POLICE COMMISSIONER ON THE WEST AUSTRALIAN. Sooner or later, they will receive a knock on the door from police and at this point, the realisation quickly dawns that they have made a decision that has ruined their life. The moment a $100 million dollar meth deal came unstuck in Australia The drugs had been seized, so the risk of 2.4 tonnes coming to our shores had been mitigated, he said. Footage of the precision raid shows officers gathering out the front of a nondescript apartment in Mordialloc. A total of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine was stopped from entering our shores and 12 people were arrested in the largest bust in Australian history. A police investigation into the bust later uncovered more than 100 messages and calls between Micalizzi and two syndicate figures named 'Oz' and 'Bowa', a fake NSW driver's licence, three mobile numbers registered under false names and $9000 in cash. Border officers found substance stuffed inside pillows shipped to Australia. October 8 2021, 9.38am Seven people between the ages of 16 and 26 have been charged in connection with drug-related offences after a raid in Perth. It was at this point, under the cover of darkness, that the TRG officers struck. He was then arrested by the Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime squad.. The pair were arrested at the airport and ultimately charged with two counts of possession with intent to sell or supply, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. However, in 2010, as the Australian branch of the syndicate started to unravel, Ayik fled the country. Codenamed Operation Beech, the sophisticated police sting managed to fool the Australian leg of the cartel into believing their illegal cargo was safely on its way to Australia. To improve your experience, The population of 'world's most criticised prison' just doubled. Cops dragged three burly, tattooed men out of the upturned vehicle on a patch of grass in southeast Perth and arrested them on December 30. Eight-week-old puppy's leg amputated after being thrown against wall. Live drug news coverage of developments with the latest updates. Officers watched their moves from the air and a tactical response group arrested three people aboard Cool Runnings allegedly with about 1.2 tonnes of the inert substance. But until now, its role in one of the biggest law enforcement operations in Australian history has remained a mystery. A total of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth about $1 billion was prevented from reaching WA shores thanks to a secret high-risk operation involving WA Polices new transnational serious and organised crime squad and agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The latest real-time news updates and headlines on drug. The footage shows officers carrying large box-shaped items covered in brown paper, as well as smaller paper bags. All times AEST (GMT +10). For years, it sat on the tarmac at a general airport 20 kilometres south of Perth. Then the Catalina sank. "I saw this aeroplane come up and I just bought it out of curiosity," Nevan Pavlinovic said. Police seize drugs form the Ellenbrook home. Just after 3am, with Micalizzi's bag safety stowed in the cargo hold, the pair took off in the Aztec, leaving Bankstown's runway behind en route to Whyalla, the first refuelling stop on the 15-hour journey to Jandakot. The WA drug bust that changed Australian law enforcement forever 26 Apr 2023 2:37 pm AEST. Six Perth County residents charged as part of massive drug bust in Perth drug busts: Police seize $3 million in property, drugs, cash, and Who is Vanessa Hudson? Four men from Sydney are sentenced to decades in jail for their roles in a "sophisticated" drug importation that saw 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine with an estimated worth of up to $1.1 billion . The West Australian can reveal police have charged Perth DJ Shivan Arasu-Dahl, 32, with a range of offences after a major operation was launched last October by the drug and firearm squad. Police watched from the air as the second boat towed the first back out to sea, before it too ran into trouble. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. A homeless man who allegedly launched a brutal, unprovoked attack on a retail employee as she made her way to work has been arrested. Peta Rasdien The West Australian. It was the biggest drug bust in WA history and a day law enforcement officers would remember for years to come. Three men returned to the house the following evening and entered the shipping container to access the boxes. The fire started at Pickles Auctions in Bibra Lake, a suburb in . Extraordinary footage of the biggest drug bust in Australian history which resulted in WA Police arresting a dozen people with alleged links to a Mexican drug cartel off our beautiful but hostile coast has been released. As the plane finally stopped on the apron, the Lycoming O-540 engines idling away, he heard a knock on the door. Drug and firearm squad detectives executed a search warrant at a house on Fantail Crescent in Ellenbrook late on Thursday night. Drugs - 9News - Latest news and headlines from Australia and the world 'Okay, without being fantastic': Alan Joyce's legacy after 15 years at the helm of Qantas. Police charged a 39-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman who were allegedly connected to the syndicate, according to ABC. It also shows police raiding a house in Carlisle where another person alleged to be involved with the syndicate was arrested. The pair appeared in court on Monday charged with possession of a trafficable quantity of methylamphetamine with intent to sell and supply and they have been remanded in custody until their next appearance on May 10. The Turkish-Australian holds dual citizenship, and despite being included in the NSW police most wanted persons list and having an Interpol arrest warrant against his name, Turkey does not extradite its citizens. News. Border Force officers were first alerted to the delivery when a 550kg shipment of latex pillows arrived in Fremantle on a container ship on December 17. Operation Beech: Footage of the moment police storm beach, dump fake Three men charged over alleged plot to bring $100m worth of meth into The Catalina crew towed Cool Runnings out to sea and allegedly transferred the inert package over to their vessel. Its bits and bobs are now scattered across his verandah and the tail and fuselage sit in a backyard in Perth's north, a dire reminder of the plane that once sat in the middle of Australia's own war on drugs and that changed law enforcement forever. Officers duped the alleged criminals into believing they had gotten away with the import, police say. Police search an area of river in Caversham as part of Operation Kingston Destiny. WA Police seize 2.4 tonnes of cocaine.Credit: Nine News Perth/Supplied, Another individual turned up from New South Wales and we will allege he took away 200 kilograms of that 1.2 tonnes. The enormous volume represents half of Australia's annual consumption of the drug, and has an estimated street value of $1 billion. Three men arrested for attempting to import almost $1million worth of meth. Police learned the alleged Australian arm of the group was waiting to receive the haul about 28 December, prompting WA officers to put together a dummy package using an inert substance. Inert cocaine being dropped into the ocean by WA Police in a sting operation to target drug smugglers.Credit: Police Media, Weve all seen the movies, we know the reputation, and they just want to catch crooks.. Police have raided nearly 50 homes and businesses across Perth, smashing a criminal empire allegedly run by a 24-year-old man believed to have links to South American drug cartels. Joint media releases | Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission - ACIC Russia may soon run out of money: billionaire. In a joint collaboration with the US, dubbed "Operation Beech", 2.4 tonnes of cocaine - with alleged links to a Mexican drug cartel - was seized by officers after it had travelled from South America. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Perth drug busts: Police seize meth, cash and gold in multiple raids Unknown to the cartel, the drugs were switched out with identical fakes, made from plaster-of-paris. Detectives executed search warrants in Perth on New Years Eve and charged nine men with attempting to possess 1.2 tonnes of cocaine.