Media Release
NSW man jailed in WA for trafficking 5.7kg of meth and dealing with almost $640,000 in suspected criminal proceeds
Editor’s note: Images available via Hightail
A New South Wales man has been sentenced in Western Australia to 10 years and six months’ imprisonment for drug trafficking and dealing in the suspected proceeds of crime, after investigations that also resulted in the forfeiture of cash.
The Perth District Court sentenced the man, 37, last week (14 May, 2025) after he pleaded guilty to two offences. He must serve a minimum non-parole period of six years.
The AFP arrested the man in Perth in September, 2022, during an Operation Phobetor investigation into a criminal syndicate suspected of trafficking illicit drugs and criminal profits between NSW and WA and using air tags to monitor the movements of the illicit goods.
Operation Phobetor involved the AFP, NSW Police Force (NSWPF) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).
In September, 2022, NSWP advised two air tags had been located at a Malaga warehouse in WA. While the AFP was executing a search warrant at the premises, the NSW man arrived.
During the search, AFP officers seized 5.7kg of suspected methamphetamine in packages in two toolboxes, $622,330 in a cardboard box, a cash counter and other items related to drug supply.
Police then searched a serviced apartment where the man was staying and found another $16,650 cash, a luxury Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch and documents relating to the interstate transport of the toolboxes.
The man was charged with:
- One count of trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 302.2 (1) and 11.2A of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of dealing with money reasonably suspected to be the proceeds of crime, which is more than $100,000, contrary to section 400.4 (1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Forensic testing on the 5.7kg of suspected methamphetamine found it was almost 80 per cent pure, which amounted to 4.5kg of pure methamphetamine that could be sold as about 57,000 individual street deals of 0.1g.
AFP Inspector Chris Colley said drug trafficking syndicates cared only about the profits they could make and had no regard for the widespread harm caused by methamphetamines and other illicit substances.
“The AFP works closely with law enforcement and intelligence partners across the country and overseas to protect communities from the scourge of illicit drugs and identify and stop criminal networks that try to exploit them,” Insp Colley said.
“Seizing and confiscating illicit funds linked to drug trafficking and other crimes is a key strategy for combating organised crime.”
NSWPF Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, Commander of NSWPF State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad, said police continued to work together to keep dangerous substances off our streets.
“Through close collaboration with national law enforcement agencies and the support of strong court outcomes, the NSW Police Force continues to make significant strides in the fight against drug trafficking,” Det Supt Faux said.
In 2024, the AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) investigated the source of the cash and watch, and successfully applied to the District Court of Western Australia under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth) to have them restrained and forfeited.
Funds derived from the sale of forfeited assets are placed into a Confiscated Assets Account, managed by the Official Trustee on behalf of the Commonwealth. These funds can be distributed by the Attorney-General to benefit the community through crime prevention measures, diversion programs or other law enforcement measures across Australia.
