An Indian man who is allegedly the mastermind behind a massive drug and illegal tobacco importation plot has been arrested in western Sydney along with six other men, including two Canadians.
Gurvindar Singh, 42, who has no criminal record or known prior underworld connections, was arrested on Friday and charged with three counts of importing large quantities of tobacco, two counts of attempted import commercial quantity of border controlled drug, intend as instrument of crime, money/property => $50,000, deal with proceeds of indictable crime-money/property >=$100000, knowingly/recklessly direct criminal group and participate in a criminal group.
He appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday where his lawyer argued he was the main breadwinner for his family and was prepared to put up his house as a surety, but was refused bail to face court again next month, ABC News reported. He is yet to enter a plea.
Two men who are related by marriage, Aman Kang, 24, and Mani Singh Dhaliwal, 31, were allegedly enlisted by Singh and flown in from Canada to retrieve 50kg of cocaine concealed in cement bags and sell it to organised crime groups.
Both were charged with attempt to possess commercial quantity unlawful import: border controlled drug, and participate in a criminal group, and were denied bail in the same court on Sunday to appear again later this month.
Another 42-year-old man was arrested in Wetherill Park along with Singh, Kang, and Dhaliwal on Friday, and charged with attempt to import commercial quantity of border controlled drug and participate in a criminal group.
Police also arrested a 36-year-old man at Sydney Airport and charged him with importing large quantities of tobacco and participating in a criminal group.
Two other men, aged 43 and 31, were arrested in Riverstone, western Sydney, in August last year after allegedly trying to access liquid methamphetamine in an industrial cooler that had been imported from Vancouver, Canada.
The 43-year-old was charged with 17 offences, including attempted possession of a commercial quantity of an unlawful import: border controlled drug, 13 counts of possess unauthorised pistol, firearm etc found at premises-subject to prohibition order, and participate in a criminal group.
The 31-year-old was charged with participate in a criminal group and granted conditional bail.
NSW Police said that after the first two arrests they continued to investigate Singh, who allegedly used a freight forwarding company in Punchbowl to import three separate consignments of more than 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates, and the cocaine shipment from Panama.
Police allege Singh was caught saying “it’s fake” on telephone intercepts after realising Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) detectives had swapped the cocaine, and allege he planned to sell the cement the cocaine was allegedly concealed in also.
Header image: Left, right, some of the men being arrested on Friday (NSW Police).
