In the January 2023 consignment, authorities removed the drugs and replaced them with an inert substance before shipping the bottles to Melbourne under surveillance.
Australia
In March 2023, two Melbourne men, aged 41 and 34, collected the substituted shipment and transported it to storage locations using a logistics business.
They were arrested and charged in June 2023.
Further investigations identified two New South Wales men, aged 36 and 27, responsible for collecting, delivering, and storing portions of the shipment in Sydney. They were charged in February 2024.
Three additional Victorian men, aged 31, 28, and 22, were arrested in June 2023. They operated a clandestine laboratory in Melbourne, where investigators located:
- Large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine
- Drug manufacturing equipment
- Significant cash
- Two imitation firearms
New Zealand
In January 2023, New Zealand Police and Customs seized 713kg of crystal methamphetamine concealed in maple syrup containers. Six people were charged.
The AFP suspects those drugs were sourced from the same organised crime group attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into Australia.
Five New Zealand men have since received significant jail sentences under Operation Regis.
Sentences Imposed in Australia
The eight men convicted in Australia received the following sentences:
- 27-year-old Hinchinbrook (NSW) man: 4 years and 6 months, non-parole 2 years and 6 months
- 41-year-old Melbourne CBD man: 23 years, non-parole 11 years
- 34-year-old Melbourne CBD man: 17 years and 6 months, non-parole 9 years and 10 months
- 31-year-old Sunshine North man: 22 years and 6 months, non-parole 15 years and 9 months
- 28-year-old United States national: 13 years, non-parole 7 years and 10 months
- 22-year-old St Albans man: 6 years, non-parole 3 years
- 36-year-old Canley Heights (NSW) man: 5 years and 3 months, non-parole 3 years
- 54-year-old Melbourne CBD man: 3 years and 10 months, non-parole 2 years and 10 months
Law Enforcement Response
Australian Federal Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Raegan Stewart said large-scale drug importations threaten Australia’s national security and place pressure on health and financial systems.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien described the seizure as a significant blow to organised crime and said the drugs would have contributed to road trauma, family violence, homicides, and other violent offending.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Acting Regional Commander Stephen Lee said the case demonstrated strong international policing cooperation.
Canada Border Services Agency Regional Director General Nina Patel described the investigation as part of a global effort to dismantle transnational organised crime networks.
New South Wales Police Detective Superintendent Peter Faux said criminal syndicates do not respect borders, and neither can law enforcement responses.
Australian Border Force Acting Commander Eleanor Grigg warned organised crime groups that border threats would be swiftly acted upon.
New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Corrie Parnell said the collaboration prevented significant harm to communities. New Zealand Customs Group Manager Terry Brown said the joint effort stopped billions of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine at the border.
Operation Parkes resulted in the disruption of a transnational organised crime network attempting to import industrial-scale quantities of methamphetamine into Australia and New Zealand.
The six-tonne seizure represents one of the most significant coordinated international drug interdictions involving Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Webfit News Prospects:
This case highlights how deeply interconnected transnational crime networks are across the Asia-Pacific region.
Strong cross-border intelligence sharing will remain critical as organised crime groups continue to adapt their smuggling methods.
