Media Release
MAST charges another two alleged facilitators of trusted insider network in Sydney
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police Force
Two Sydney men were yesterday (4 June, 2026) charged as part of an ongoing joint-agency investigation into a trusted insider network operating within Sydney’s cargo ports.
An Oran Park man, 35, and a Condell Park man, 26, were charged by the Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) in relation to plots to import illicit drugs between 2025 and 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.
The Oran Park man is expected to appear before the NSW Bail Division Court today (5 June, 2026)
In April, 2025, the MAST commenced investigations targeting a criminal syndicate alleged to have members working inside Port Botany to facilitate the importation of commercial quantities of illicit drugs.
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 network facilitated attempts to access more than one tonne of illicit drugs concealed in shipping containers, including cocaine hidden in consignments from Chile, Colombia, Jamaica, Europe and South America.
In May 2026, investigators charged five alleged trusted insiders over a failed 506kg cocaine importation in August, 2025, with further arrests occurring in Chile, where six people were charged over their alleged roles in a relation to a 58kg cocaine plot detected before the drugs reached Australia.
Ongoing MAST inquiries identified the Condell Park man allegedly took part in the retrieval of 140kg of border-controlled drugs in May, 2025, from the roof cavity of a refrigerated container.
It will be alleged the Oran Park man was a forklift operator who allegedly commenced a criminal association with the syndicate coordinator and assisted with the retrieval of 120kg of border-controlled drugs in June, 2025.
It will be alleged the men were operating under the direction of a 29-year-old Holsworthy man, who was arrested by the MAST in May 2026 as the coordinator of the trusted insider network.
On Thursday, 4 June, 2026, MAST investigators executed search warrants at the men's homes where police seized $113,000 in cash.
The men were both charged with possessing a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal 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 22 July, 2026.
The arrest of the two men brings the total number of arrests under Strike Force Paiporta and Operation Durak to nine.
AFP acting Commander Marie Andersson said trusted insider networks were calculated and coordinated, but they were outmatched by the expertise and persistence of MAST investigators.
“The AFP and its MAST partners will continue to dismantle this trusted insider network, relentlessly pursuing those who enable the flow of harmful drugs into our community,” a/Cmdr Andersson said.
“With seven alleged offenders charged here in Sydney and six charged offshore via our foreign law enforcement partners, these arrests highlight the commitment of the MAST to eradicate the scourge of drug importation.
“Anyone who is enticed to act as a trusted insider and abuse their position should 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 to close down the corrupt pathways criminals rely on to move illicit drugs into our communities.
“These arrests demonstrate that anyone who abuses their access or position to support organised crime 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 Serious Organised Crime and Trusted Insiders
Transnational serious organised crime (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 are very valuable and highly sought by 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, identify the vulnerabilities exploited and close the door preventing future exploitation by TSOC groups.
