This is a joint release between Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, National Crime Authority (UK) and the Metropolitan Police (UK)
Images from this investigation can be downloaded via Hightail
Three UK nationals have been charged for their suspected involvement in smuggling 24 kilograms of crystal meth worth almost $28 million into Australia last year.
A 52-year-old woman from Croydon, a 52-year-old man from Sevenoaks and a 51-year-old man from Orpington were arrested by officers in the UK on 13 April 2022 from the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint team of National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Officers.
The woman, who works in the cargo sector, is accused of accepting a shipment filled with methamphetamine and failing to properly inspect it before it was marked as security cleared and sent to Australia. She is also alleged to have tracked the shipment as it travelled through the system.
The 52-year-old man is believed to have travelled to the shipping centre in Croydon, UK on 26 June 2021 and paid for the shipment to be sent to Australia.
The 51-year-old man is alleged to have arranged the contact between the other man and the woman to organise the shipment.
Upon arrival in Australia in July 2021, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers selected the consignment for examination. A detailed examination revealed 24 plastic bags containing a crystalline substance. Presumptive testing of the substance indicated it was methamphetamine.
The ABF subsequently referred the consignment to the Australian Federal Police for further investigation.
All three people were charged with being concerned in the exportation of Class A drugs. The 51-year-old man was also charged with possession with intent to supply a Class B drug and production of a Class B drug after a number of cannabis plants were found at his address. They will appear in Croydon Magistrates Court today 14 April 2022.
Detective Inspector Guy Carmichael of the Organised Crime Partnership, said: "These drugs would be worth a significant amount in the UK, some £4 million, but their value in Australia would have been remarkably higher at £16 million, or just shy of $28 million Australian dollars.
"Working closely with partners in Australia, including the Australian Federal Police, has seen a large quantity of these dangerous drugs taken off the streets and a suspected key supply chain taken out of action.
"We will continue to target those who are supplying illegal drugs, whether within the UK or overseas."
AFP Detective Acting Inspector Brendon Basford said the information that identified the two suspects was the result of an investigation into an Australian-based organised crime syndicate alleged to be responsible for multiple importations of illicit drugs, and the shipment that is the subject of these allegations has an estimated street value of just under AUD$28 million.
"AFP investigators identified a person of interest in the UK tracking a shipment in a manner that we believed was suspicious, and passed on the information we had to the National Crime Authority via the AFP's international liaison network," he said.
"It's incredibly rewarding to know that our partners have taken the initial information we provided and built a brief of evidence on criminal offences in the United Kingdom, having a tangible impact on the alleged suppliers to the enterprise seeking to exploit the Australian community."
ABF Commander Susan Drennan said the arrests demonstrated the agility of law enforcement partners globally to work collaboratively and share information to achieve a joint disruption outcome for all agencies.
"This is a great example of the reach of our professional law enforcement relationships worldwide. Our tough action against criminals attempting to endanger the lives of those in our community does not stop at our borders," Commander Drennan said.
The allegations against the Australian syndicate are the subject of ongoing legal proceedings, and media release(s) on these matters can be found here.
