CANBERRA, ACT, June 5 -- Australian Federal Police issued the following media release:
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal PoliceandNSW Police Force
Two Sydney menwereyesterday(4June,2026) chargedas part of an ongoing joint-agency investigationintoa trusted insider networkoperatingwithin Sydney's cargo ports.
AnOran Park man,35, and aCondellPark man,26, were charged by theMulti Agency Strike Team (MAST)inrelation toplots to importillicit drugsbetween 2025and 2026.
The MAST-made up of investigators from the AFP and NSW Police Force (NSWPF)-works directly with law enforcement partners from the Australian Border Force (ABF), NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and Australian Taxation Office (ATO), to target trusted insiders.
TheOran Park manisexpected to appear beforethe NSW Bail DivisionCourt today (5June,2026)
InApril,2025, theMASTcommencedinvestigationstargetinga criminal syndicatealleged to have members working insidePort Botanytofacilitatethe importation of commercial quantities of illicitdrugs.
MAST investigators linked the alleged trusted insider network to multiple plots to import illicit drugs through Port Botany between February and October 2025.
Police will allege the networkfacilitatedattempts to access more than one tonne of illicit drugs concealed in shipping containers, including cocaine hidden in consignments from Chile, Colombia, Jamaica,Europeand South America.
In May2026,investigators charged five alleged trusted insiders over a failed 506kg cocaine importation inAugust,2025,with further arrestsoccurringin Chile,wheresix peoplewerechargedover their alleged roles in a relation to a58kg cocaine plot detected before the drugs reached Australia.
Ongoing MASTinquiriesidentifiedtheCondellParkmanallegedly took part in the retrieval of 140kg ofborder-controlleddrugsinMay,2025,from the roof cavity of a refrigerated container.
It will be allegedtheOran Parkmanwas aforklift operatorwhoallegedlycommenceda criminal association with the syndicate coordinator andassistedwith the retrieval of120kgofborder-controlleddrugsinJune,2025.
It will be alleged the men wereoperatingunder the direction of a29-year-old Holsworthy man, who was arrested by the MAST in May 2026 as thecoordinator of the trusted insider network.
On Thursday,4June,2026,MAST investigators executed search warrants at themen'shomeswhere police seized $113,000 in cash.
The men were both chargedwithpossessinga commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 of theCriminal Code(Cth).
The men face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.
The Condell Park man was formally refused police bail and is expected to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on 22July,2026.
The arrest of the two menbringsthe total number of arrests under Strike ForcePaiportaand OperationDuraktonine.
AFPactingCommander Marie Anderssonsaidtrusted insider networks were calculated and coordinated, but they were outmatched by theexpertiseand persistence of MAST investigators.
"The AFP and its MAST partnerswill continue to dismantle thistrusted insidernetwork,relentlesslypursuingthosewho enable the flow of harmful drugs into our community,"a/CmdrAnderssonsaid.
"With sevenallegedoffenders chargedhere in Sydneyand six charged offshore via our foreign law enforcement partners, these arrestshighlightthe commitment of the MASTtoeradicatethescourgeof drugimportation.
"Anyone whois enticed to act as a trusted insider and abuse their positionshould think twice - the reward is not worth the risk."
NSWPF State Crime Command's Drug and Firearms Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Watson, said MAST continues toclose downthe corrupt pathways criminals rely on to move illicit drugs into our communities.
"These arrests demonstrate that anyone who abuses their access or position to supportorganisedcrime will be identified and held to account," Det Supt Watson said.
"Our commitment to protecting the integrity of NSW's critical infrastructure remains absolute."
Transnational SeriousOrganisedCrime and Trusted Insiders
Transnational seriousorganisedcrime (TSOC) groups are focused on finding 'a door' into Australia to import and move their illicit commodities.
A trusted insider is any person who, through their employment or association with a supply chain business, uses their access to goods, systems, or premises for malicious purposes to facilitate TSOC-related activities without law enforcement detection.
Trusted insiders arevery valuableand highlysoughtby TSOC groups. They act as key enablers to compromise the supply chain and allow illicit goods into Australia, causing harm to NSW communities.
How the MAST approach is different to other law enforcement strategies
The MAST is a different approach to disrupting TSOC groups by targeting the trusted insiders to 'close the door into Australia'.The MAST is commodity agnostic- the use of positions of trust within the supply chain to enable TSOC groups to bring illicit goods into Australia falls under the remit of the MAST.
Traditional police investigations focus on the illicit commodity, its origin and destination or the person or group sending or receiving. The MAST tracks how the illicit commodity was able to bypass border controls,identifythe vulnerabilities exploited and close the door preventing future exploitation by TSOC groups.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
