The Police in Australia have arrested and charged a 49-year-old Nigerian immigration detainee, Dirichukwu Patrick Nweke, and his accomplice with running a drug cartel.
This was after police busted an alleged $9 million drug operation at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.
New South Wales Police reported on Saturday that organized crime investigators believe Nweke used an encrypted messaging service and had set up a network of runners outside the detention centre to distribute large amounts of methylamphetamine and cocaine throughout Sydney.
During a search of a unit at the detention centre on July 11, police found three mobile phones. Further searches uncovered 2kg of methylamphetamine and $169,000 in cash, previously seized by officers.
Nweke has been charged with multiple offenses, including directing a criminal group and supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
On Wednesday, detectives found 750 grams of methylamphetamine and 90 grams of heroin in a toilet bowl during a search of a home in Liverpool. The heroin discovery was allegedly an attempt to dispose of the drugs, with additional heroin found on the bathroom floor. Police also recovered $325,000 in cash and an encrypted electronic device.
A 24-year-old man, alleged to be a runner for Nweke, was arrested and charged with supplying prohibited drugs, participating in a criminal group, and other offenses.
Police said this week’s efforts led to the dismantling of three separate syndicates across the city, with the street value of the seized drugs exceeding $9 million.
Nweke appeared in Bankstown Local Court on July 12, while the alleged runner faced court on the same day as his arrest. Both men were denied bail after brief court appearances.
