“It is going to be alleged he liaised with somebody in South Africa – or with connections within the nation – to supply 100 kilograms of cocaine and have it positioned on an plane,” an AFP spokesman mentioned on Tuesday.
“It is going to be alleged this man was additionally liable for its onward distribution in Australia.”
The cocaine allegedly seized from Sydney Airport in October.Credit score: AFP
Final Sunday, Ahmed would have obtained information whereas in jail on remand that his brother Nedal was arrested attempting to board a flight on the similar airport.
Police allege Nedal was additionally transferring round Sydney bricks of cocaine valued at hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in an unrelated drug import.
The 37-year-old was charged with two counts of supplying a big industrial amount of a prohibited drug, being 10 kilograms and two kilograms of cocaine, one depend of supplying a industrial amount of a prohibited drug, 5 counts of coping with the suspected proceeds of crime, collectively value hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, and one depend of knowingly directing actions of a legal group.
Over the next days, lots of of officers from NSW Police’s Strike Pressure Tromperie rounded up 24 individuals allegedly linked to the “billion-dollar syndicate”.
Then essentially the most notorious member of the Haouchar brood, Bilal, was reportedly detained in Lebanon over his alleged commanding position within the syndicate.
Bilal was final seen in Australia boarding a business-class flight to Beirut in September 2018.
The Lebanese authorities have but to verify if Bilal has been arrested or can be transferred again to Australia, however NSW Police mentioned it was the top of Australia’s single-largest crime crew.
Then, on Tuesday, the AFP introduced Operation Lucian had handed intelligence to the South African Police Service to chase down their finish of the $40 million drug bust linked with Ahmed Haouchar.
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South African police raided 5 areas throughout Gauteng province, arresting 5 males who allegedly had entry to Tambo Worldwide Airport in Johannesburg by their employment with plane logistics suppliers.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto mentioned the current high-profile arrests in Turkey and data sharing in South Africa would “cripple the power of organised crime” to function in Australia.
The 5 males arrested in South Africa stay earlier than the courts.
“The flushing out of airport staff which are key enablers has dealt a extreme blow to organised crime,” South Africa’s Main-Normal Ebrahim Kadwa mentioned in relation to the 5 people arrested in South Africa.
Ahmed Haouchar was unavailable to touch upon the arrests.
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