“Will probably 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 stated on Tuesday.
“Will probably be alleged this man was additionally answerable for its onward distribution in Australia.”
The cocaine allegedly seized from Sydney Airport in October.Credit score: AFP
Final Sunday, Ahmed would have acquired information whereas in jail on remand that his brother Nedal was arrested attempting to board a flight on the identical airport.
Police allege Nedal was additionally shifting round Sydney bricks of cocaine valued at thousands and thousands of {dollars} in an unrelated drug import.
The 37-year-old was charged with two counts of supplying a big business amount of a prohibited drug, being 10 kilograms and two kilograms of cocaine, one rely of supplying a business amount of a prohibited drug, 5 counts of coping with the suspected proceeds of crime, collectively price thousands and thousands of {dollars}, and one rely of knowingly directing actions of a legal group.
Over the next days, lots of of officers from NSW Police’s Strike Power 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 will probably be transferred again to Australia, however NSW Police stated it was the tip 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 places 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 stated the current high-profile arrests in Turkey and knowledge 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 workers which might be key enablers has dealt a extreme blow to organised crime,” South Africa’s Main-Common Ebrahim Kadwa stated in relation to the 5 people arrested in South Africa.
Ahmed Haouchar was unavailable to touch upon the arrests.
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