Australian police have smashed a drug trafficking syndicate and seized heroin worth $A9 million ($NZ11.5 million)

Insp Fryer said."Five kilograms of pure heroin equates to about 20kg on the street . . . that is hundreds of thousands of hits," he said.

Australian police have smashed a drug trafficking syndicate and seized heroin worth $A9 million ($NZ11.5 million) destined for Melbourne's streets. Officers in Sydney swooped on a 59-year-old Footscray woman carrying 700 grams, or two blocks of high-grade heroin, as she got on a train bound for Melbourne on Saturday night.
The arrest led to a raid on a house in Burnside, in Melbourne's west, on Monday where police arrested three family members accused of being ringleaders of the syndicate.Investigators seized 5kg of heroin, with an alleged wholesale value of $A million and street value of $A9 million, 1.5kg of the illegal drug ice and cash, drug taskforce boss Inspector Doug Fryer told reporters.Police allege the syndicate paid couriers to travel to South-East Asia and return with heroin concealed inside their bodies. Drugs were also brought to Melbourne from other Australian states."They use a network of couriers recruited from various areas in Melbourne for a fee," Insp Fryer said."They (the drugs) are hidden by internal concealments. Having any illicit drug inside your body can result in death, so it's high risk."It's high risk for the couriers with death penalty provisions in other countries – even in Australia there's significant imprisonments handed out for just being a courier let alone the syndicate organisers."Insp Fryer said police had been investigating the syndicate for six months along with Customs, the Australian Crime Commission and Australian Federal Police.Six men and women had already been arrested and charged with being couriers for the syndicate, bringing in heroin from Vietnam, he said.As a result, prospective couriers were probably then reluctant to import heroin, but organisers continued running the syndicate anyway, concentrating on sourcing heroin within Australia, police said.Two people were charged on Monday including 52-year-old woman Thi Loan Tran, of Burnside, who was remanded at Sunshine Court for drug importation and trafficking offences.A 27-year-old man was bailed on similar charges.The raids had put a significant dent in Melbourne's heroin trade but a steady supply of the drug still existed in the city.

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150 bottles labelled “gay lube oil” imported from Thailand seized

Investigators have seized more than 150 bottles labelled “gay lube oil” imported from Thailand since the operation began at the beginning of the year and are investigating 30 people and groups across Australia, including WA.
Customs national manager investigations Richard Janeczko said they had acted on intelligence from domestic and overseas officers in cooperation with Thai authorities and were the first to detect this particular disguise. “It’s a bit of a cat and mouse game. We believe we will be able to stop the use of this disguise in the near future and arrest many of the suppliers,” he said.
“There has been a huge increase in the number of similar importation attempts this year, so we are already looking to predict the next disguise and deter future efforts.” He said the drugs were detected both as bulk imports for distribution and as personal quantities carried by travellers. Mr Janeczko said the drugs were designed as “performance and image enhancers” and were likely for use by bodybuilders, security guards and bikies rather than professional athletes.
“These substances have serious health risks, which is why they are illegal to use without a prescription,” he said.

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Schapelle Corby's "drug-free" record,Mercedes, definitely smuggled marijuana "inside her" on trips to Bali.

Jodie Power has admitted lying about Schapelle Corby's "drug-free" record, but says her sister, Mercedes, definitely smuggled marijuana "inside her" on trips to Bali.Power said she lied on national TV, and agreed there is an "enormous gulf" between what she told Channel 7's Today Tonight and the ABC about Mercedes and Schappelle Corby's involvement with drugs. In the NSW Supreme Court today, Power admitted lying on the ABC's 7.30 Report about Schapelle Corby having a drug free record "to protect her". In an interview with The 7.30 Report back in March 2005, Power said: "I have never, never seen Schapelle smoke marijuana, never seen her take drugs." In the witness box at the NSW Supreme Court this afternoon, she said that was a lie. "I lied that I hadn't seen her taking drugs," she said, adding it was "to protect her...to get her out of jail". Power, a former best friend of Mercedes Corby, is facing a defamation action, along with Channel Seven, its Today Tonight current affairs show and host Anna Coren after she claimed on air that Mercedes Corby was a drug dealer. Under cross-examination from Stuart Littlemore QC, appearing for Mercedes Corby, Power's credibility was thrown in to question again, when she was asked about what she told Today Tonight about Mercedes Corby and her history with smuggling marijuana in to Bali. The jury was first shown footage from an unedited interview Power did with the Channel Seven current affairs program about a year ago, where Power said Mercedes Corby "compressed and carried it (marijuana) inside her''. Mr Littlemore QC then asked Power if she made up what she told Today Tonight. He said to Power: "It was in her vagina but you have made that up."
Power replied: "No I haven't.'' She then agreed with Mr Littlemore that there was an "enormous gulf" between what she told Channel Seven and the ABC in the interviews she did.

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U.S. citizens have been arrested on charges of attempting to smuggle 1,350 beetles out of the country

Two U.S. citizens in their sixties have been arrested in the Australian city of Perth on charges of attempting to smuggle 1,350 beetles out of the country, the West Australian newspaper said on Thursday.The discovery followed an anonymous phone call to a customs hotline.Customs officers in Perth International Airport found some 1,000 tiger beetles, a regulated native species banned from export without a permit, in the luggage of a 62 year-old U.S. tourist. The insects were packed in glass vials hidden inside yoghurt containers.
During questioning the man informed police about his 63 year-old accomplice, who was subsequently detained after another 350 assorted beetles were found in his luggage.
Customs National Manager Investigations Richard Janeczko said the smuggling of rare creatures was a major international problem.
"Australian species are favored targets of wildlife smugglers," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "Wildlife trafficking is a cruel practice and, unfortunately, many animals die before reaching their destination."
Australian insects are popular among overseas collectors because of their bright colors and unique characteristics, he added.
Both men are due to go on trial on Friday. They face a fine of up to $92,000 and / or up to 10 years behind bars if found guilty.

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