Western Australia and NSW Police dismantle large-scale drug operation

Police seized around $8.8 million in cash, as well as 44kg of prohibited drugs in NSW.

Transcript

00:00In December of last year, Strike Force Bukwon commenced.

00:03That was a joint investigation between the NSW Police Organised Crime Squad,

00:09the Organised Crime and Serious Directorate Western Australia Police

00:14and the NSW Crime Commission.

00:16During that investigation, we established that there was an organised crime network

00:21moving what we believe was in the tens of millions of dollars in cash

00:26between Western Australia and NSW.

00:29We believe those funds were predominantly as a result of the sale of prohibited drugs

00:35in Western Australia.

00:37Last Wednesday, the investigation went into resolution

00:41where there was jointly 12 search warrants executed in NSW and Western Australia.

00:49During those search warrants, a number of people were arrested

00:52and in NSW we seized 12 kilograms of prohibited drugs.

00:59As a result of the investigation over the preceding 10-11 months,

01:05in Western Australia they charged 54 people with a number of offences.

01:11They seized approximately $8.8 million in cash over 44 kilograms of prohibited drugs.

01:19In NSW, we charged 9 people.

01:25We seized approximately $1.7 million in cash

01:29and last Wednesday alone we seized 12 kilograms of prohibited drugs.

01:34Those 12 kilograms that we seized in NSW last week alone

01:39is equivalent to 120,000 street supplies of that prohibited drug.

01:48As a result of the investigation, we're alleging that the primary coordinator

01:53of this organised crime group was in NSW

01:56and that 38-year-old man has been arrested and charged

01:59and he's bailed or refused to attend court in January.

02:04JOURNALIST What drugs are we talking here and are they significant quantities?

02:08Sorry, what was that?

02:09JOURNALIST And are they significant quantities?

02:11Yeah, look, the prohibited drug was predominantly meth

02:14and those quantities are, as I said,

02:16the 12 kilograms we seized last Wednesday is equivalent to 120,000 street deals alone.

02:23During the entirety of the investigation,

02:24Western Australia seized in excess of 44 kilos over there alone,

02:30so it's substantial amounts of prohibited drugs.