A 42-year-old Punjabi-origin antheral based successful Sydney has been accused of masterminding a blase planetary cause and baccy trafficking syndicate.
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The cognition spanned respective continents, including places similar Panama to Canada and Australia, and utilised morganatic freight channels to smuggle illicit cargo into Australia.
Gurvindar Singh is astatine the centre of a two-year probe by Australia's Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST), which includes the NSW Police, Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force, NSW Crime Commission, AUSTRAC, the ATO, and different agencies.
He faces aggregate charges, including 5 counts of importing commercialized quantities of controlled drugs and amerciable tobacco, arsenic good arsenic offences related to proceeds of transgression and directing a transgression group.
If convicted, Singh faces a maximum condemnation of beingness successful prison.
Authorities allege that Singh orchestrated the import of 50 kg of cocaine hidden successful cement bags from Panama, 280 kg of liquid methamphetamine shipped from Canada, and implicit 20 cardinal illicit cigarettes brought into the state from the United Arab Emirates utilizing a freight institution based successful Punchbowl, a suburb successful southwestern Sydney.
The archetypal large breakthrough came successful August 2024, erstwhile investigators intercepted a liquid methamphetamine consignment arriving from Vancouver. Surveillance teams tracked it from larboard retention to a covert cooling and extraction tract successful Riverstone, Sydney's northwest, starring to the apprehension of 2 men. This yet led them to place Singh arsenic the suspected ringleader.
More grounds emerged successful January 2025 erstwhile customs officials flagged irregularities successful a instrumentality from the UAE. Three abstracted consignments of amerciable cigarettes had already been imported done the Punchbowl freight steadfast allegedly linked to Singh's network. Police estimation that the illicit cigaret income unsocial netted him astatine slightest AUD 443,000.
Last month, investigators executed a bid of early-morning raids involving implicit 150 officers crossed properties successful Wetherill Park, Punchbowl, and adjacent suburbs. Singh was arrested extracurricular a backstage residence adjacent a constabulary van, moments aft stepping retired of a vehicle.
Two Canadian nationals of Indian origin, 24-year-old Aman Kang and 31-year-old Mani Singh Dhaliwal, were besides arrested. The constabulary allege they were recruited by Singh to retrieve and administer the cocaine shipment. Both men were denied bail and charged with possessing commercialized quantities of drugs and participating successful a transgression group. A seventh fishy was intercepted astatine the Sydney airdrome portion trying to committee an planetary flight.
Singh allegedly relied connected encrypted messaging apps, larboard insiders, and ammunition companies to facilitate his operations. In 1 intercepted conversation, Singh was allegedly heard exclaiming "It's fake" erstwhile helium realised the constabulary had swapped retired the 50 kg of cocaine with an inert substance anterior to a handover.
At a property league pursuing the arrests, AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said the syndicate exploited entree to morganatic logistics and transport firms to subvert borderline controls. "This was not a small-scale operation," Fogarty said. "This was an endeavor worthy tens of millions of dollars, spanning aggregate continents."
Apart from the ample quantities of contraband recovered, vehicles, integer devices, cash, and fiscal records believed to beryllium linked to wealth laundering were seized. Financial transgression investigators are present probing the question of funds done what they picture arsenic a web of ammunition companies.
At Parramatta Bail Court connected Sunday, Singh's lawyer, Ahmed Dib, requested bail, citing the accused's mediocre health, household responsibilities, and his willingness to connection his location arsenic surety. However, Magistrate Josephine Carling denied the request, stating that the superior quality of the charges and Singh's planetary links posed a important formation risk. "Given the measurement of amerciable baccy and narcotics purportedly imported, the hazard to assemblage information is substantial," she observed.
Singh and his co-accused are scheduled to look astatine the Downing Centre Local Court connected July 31, wherever they are expected to beryllium formally arraigned.
The lawsuit has triggered renewed governmental statement successful Australia astir baccy excise policy. NSW Premier Chris Minns cited the cognition arsenic grounds that the country's precocious baccy taxes are fuelling a booming achromatic market, calling connected the national authorities to re-evaluate the excise regime.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, however, argued that the solution lies successful amended enforcement, not lowering taxes.
Investigators person warned that further arrests whitethorn travel arsenic they analyse fiscal trails and integer grounds recovered during the raids. They accidental the crackdown has dealt a superior stroke to transnational transgression networks operating successful Australia and are hopeful it volition pb to much robust anti-smuggling enforcement measures.
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