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Police have charged 18 people and seized 268 kilograms of illicit drugs following a multi-agency investigation into a national crime syndicate. It will be alleged the syndicate was importing drugs by sea, hiding them in consignments of shoes, plastic products and wooden pallets, before using planes, drug mules and Australia Post to smuggle them over state borders. The drugs had a combined estimated street value of around $60 million and included 150 kilograms of pseudoephedrine, 95 kilograms of methylamphetamine, 21 kilograms of ketamine and two kilograms of cocaine. As part of Strike Force Bloomfield, detectives executed 30 search warrants across New South Wales and Western Australia, resulting in 18 people being arrested and charged. Police also seized 14 firearms, nearly $2.4 million in cash and chemical lab equipment. Operation 'completely dismantled' Detective Superintendent John Watson said the multi-agency investigation had "completely dismantled this operation" and "put them out of business". "We have seized their drugs, we've taken out their workforce, we have removed their communication devices, seized their cash," he said. "The operation had international connections. More importantly, they had reached right across Australia, from the west coast to the east coast. "It's been well planned and executed and the drugs and money themselves were being transported across borders by both domestic flights, drug mules on planes, and also via Australia Post. "They had capacity to manage several consignments at once, break down those consignments, store them and supply them."
