International Drug Syndicate: 1.8 TONNES of MDMA Stopped From Reaching Australia!

in #news • 7 years ago (edited)

Two gangs of 17 people were arrested in Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia in what began as an operation a year ago.  On Monday, August 7, 2017, in a Dubai restaurant with the help of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) 5 suspects were arrested, 2 of them which are brothers Michael and Fadi Ibrahim. The Australian authorities are seeking to get these people extradited to Australia, a process that will take 60 days to complete, while the Ibrahim brothers' lawyer is claiming that they are changed men that are not involved in these criminal syndicates. Simultaneously, 10 people (9 men and 1 woman) were arrested in Sydney, Australia in a series of dozens of raids involving 575 officers this past Tuesday, August 8, 2017. 

When looking for the origins of the narcotics, authorities were led to two men in Hague, Netherlands. When the Australian authorities asked Dutch authorities to find the source of the drugs,  between May 22 - July 18, 2017 the Dutch police intercepted and seized a total of 998 kilos of MDMA, 116 kilos of cocaine, and 15 kilos of crystal methamphetamine that was intended to be sent to Australia. The drugs led to Dutch nationals, one a 33-year-old man from Utrecht and another a 47-year-old man from Huizen. Australian police claim the bust prevented narcotics that value over $650 million on the street.

 "A total of 1.8 tonnes (1.98 tons) of MDMA, 136 kilograms (300 lbs) of cocaine and 15 kilograms (33 lbs) of crystal methamphetamine was seized by authorities in the Netherlands before it could reach Australia," 

 The Utrecht man is attributed to the intent to send 500 kilos of MDMA to Australia while the man from Huizenaar is suspected of sending the rest. However, both Dutch nationals do not face extradition. Additionally, when raiding the Dutch homes money and hashish was obtained. 

The Ibrahim Brothers, the brothers arrested in Dubai, part of a notorious middle eastern crime family were targets of the search warrants in Sydney, Australia. In total 32 homes were raided in Sydney with 55 warrants issued in Australia.  John Ibrahim's  (a brother of Michael and Fadi not accused) son Daniel was one of the 10 in Australia that was arrested.  Two of the men in Sydney, Ahmad Ahmad and Jehad Jodeh, have appeared in Sydney's Central Local Court and bail was formally refused, while the eight others are expected to appear in court. The one woman who was arrested is actually nightclub boss, John Ibrahim's girlfriend Sarah Budge who was charged with possession of a firearm.

 Those arrested in Australia will be charged with conspiracy to import a "commercial quantity of a border controlled drug" and "dealing in proceeds of crime and money worth $1,000,000 or more," among other offenses. Maximum penalties for the crimes range from 25 years to life. 
In the raids over $5.5 million was seized (a total of $7 million with property seized) with armed police entering the various homes with dogs, cutting equipment, and ladders overly prepared in what began as a lead for a tobacco smuggling ring in mid 2016. 


#drugs #crime #mdma #cocaine
7 years ago in #news by
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