MDMA

EncroChat Investigation: 448 Kilos of MDMA Hidden in Digger Foiled

MDMA

The final member of an organised crime group that orchestrated a sophisticated plot to smuggle 448 kilograms of MDMA to Australia has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. William Sartin, 63, was convicted for his role in the criminal operation following an investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). Sartin joins six co-conspirators—Danny Brown, Stefan Baldauf, Peter Murray, Tony Borg, Leon Reilly, and Philip Lawson—who were sentenced for their involvement in 2022. The smuggling network was dismantled through Operation Venetic, a UK-wide initiative that targeted criminals using the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat. Sophisticated Smuggling Plot The group concealed the MDMA within the arm of an industrial digger, a Doosan DX420, which they purchased for €75,000. The digger was first stored at an industrial unit in Grays, Essex, under Sartin’s control. The drugs were hidden behind a lead lining in the excavator’s arm, a concealment designed by co-conspirator Philip Lawson, who arranged for a welder to modify the machinery. To give the shipment an air of legitimacy, the group organised an online auction for the excavator’s arrival in Australia. The digger was transported from Leeds by Reilly’s company, Mizen Equipment, and later shipped to Brisbane, Australia, via Southampton Docks. Australian Border Force officers intercepted the shipment, x-rayed the machinery, removed the drugs, and resealed the arm to allow the delivery to proceed under surveillance. International Cooperation The digger arrived at an auction house in Brisbane before being transported to a site west of Sydney in May 2020. The Australian criminal group intended to retrieve the drugs but was unable to locate them, prompting confusion and frustration. EncroChat messages revealed that the UK conspirators launched their own investigation, holding meetings attended by Sartin to determine what went wrong. The NCA worked closely with the Australian Federal Police to monitor and disrupt the operation. The collaborative effort prevented the MDMA, which would have commanded a far higher price in Australia than in the UK, from reaching the streets. Operation Venetic and Sartin’s Conviction Operation Venetic uncovered critical evidence against the group, including messages sent via EncroChat. One pivotal clue was an image sent by Danny Brown of his pet dog “Bob,” whose tag displayed a phone number, inadvertently leading investigators to his partner. Sartin, who operated under the EncroChat handles “haplessbadger” and “urbanmallet,” was previously convicted for smuggling cannabis and tobacco. His industrial unit was central to the conspiracy, serving as the site where the digger was modified and filled with drugs. Sentencing Sartin at Kingston Crown Court on December 3, NCA Branch Commander Chris Hill said: “Sartin played a vital role in this conspiracy; it was in his industrial unit that the excavator was concealed, cut open, and filled with MDMA. “Our work with partners abroad, shown here through our collaboration with the Australian Federal Police, protects the public from the dangers of Class A drugs, which destroy lives and communities here in the UK and across the world.” A Major Blow to Organised Crime This case marks the conclusion of a highly complex investigation that spanned two continents and involved multiple law enforcement agencies. Operation Venetic continues to serve as a blueprint for tackling organised crime, leveraging international partnerships and advanced investigative techniques to disrupt criminal networks. The sentencing of Sartin and his co-conspirators underscores the NCA’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking operations and protecting communities from the devastating impact of Class A drugs. 3 December 2024  

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Sydney man charged with orchestrating 237kg MDMA importation

MDMA

A western Sydney man is expected to face Parramatta Local Court today (16 November, 2024) charged for his alleged role in orchestrating the importation of 237kg of MDMA. The AFP arrested the man, 47, at Sydney International Airport yesterday evening (15 November, 2024) on his return to Australia. The investigation, named Operation Casarabe, began in November 2023 after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers conducted a routine inspection of a shipping container on arrival to Australia from Germany. An examination of the shipment, purporting to be new car parts, revealed 237kg of MDMA concealed within 12 boxes of the consignment. The ABF alerted the AFP, with officers removing the illicit drugs before the consignment was released for delivery under police surveillance. The consignment was delivered to a western Sydney logistics facility on behalf of a company administered by the  man. AFP officers attended the man’s Meadowbank home in November 2023, where he allegedly claimed to have arranged the importation of car parts on behalf of another person. It will be alleged in court that the person nominated was not real and was a manufactured identity. In May 2024, police executed a search warrant at the Meadowbank home. Investigators seized a number of electronic devices which were subject to further forensic examination. It will be alleged the examination of the devices resulted in investigators obtaining evidence to link the man to the 2023 importation, and to the manufactured identity used to arrange it. AFP officers allegedly discovered a concealed compartment within one of the man’s vehicles. Investigators located a dedicated encrypted communications device in this compartment. The AFP will also allege evidence found during the search warrant linked the email address used to coordinate the shipment to the man and to offshore cryptocurrency accounts. AFP investigators arrested the man yesterday (15 November, 2024) on his return to Australia and located and seized about $576,000 in cryptocurrency, suspected to be proceeds of crime.  He was subsequently charged with: One count of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.1(1) by virtue of section 11.1(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); One count of dealing with suspected proceeds of indictable crime greater than $100,000, contrary to section 400.9(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and One count of possess a dedicated encrypted criminal communication device, contrary to subsection 192P(1) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). AFP Acting Superintendent Stuart Millen said the evidence to support these charges came as a result of a clinical and dedicated investigation. “The lengths this individual allegedly went through to import this insidious substance shows the extremes criminal groups will go to in search of profits,” Det a/Supt Millen said. “Criminals do not care about the harm they cause, and our investigative teams are resolute in bringing those responsible before the courts. “The AFP and partners are committed to protecting the community from the scourge of drugs and to targeting individuals who seek to profit from the illicit trade.” ABF Acting Superintendent Marc Rea said this significant detection could have resulted in the cosmetic drug market being flooded with tens of millions of individual street deals. “ABF officers immediately observed anomalies within the consignment, with the goods not matching the described and declared items. On further inspection, the alleged illicit drugs were uncovered, with the syndicate attempting little to no concealment methods,” a/Supt Rea said. “This shows how criminal syndicates are only interested in profits and have a blatant disregard for our border controls and the harm these drugs pose to the community. “MDMA capsules and tablets are often cut with various other toxic agents and dangerous illicit substances. In such a large quantity could have resulted in tens of thousands of lives being put at risk. “The ABF will continue to work with the AFP and our state and territory law enforcement partners to disrupt the importation of prohibited drugs, in turn working together to target the overall supply and demand chain.” 16 November 2024 Source: AFP

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Court told a relative of Schapelle Corby stung in massive 750kg+ MDMA bust

MDMA

A relative of infamous Bali drug mule Schapelle Corby helped move dozens of boxes containing more than 750kg of MDMA, using a sophisticated hidden truck compartment to store the drugs, a court has been told. Viliami Taani Paea Kisina and Benjamin David Englefield both acted as couriers for the trans-international drug syndicate before they were arrested by detectives in 2019. The sophisticated operation involved the use of fake companies, with fake business cards, to try and avoid detection by authorities. But the pair will learn their fate on another date after Supreme Court Justice Ryan reserved her decision on Monday afternoon. Englefield pleaded guilty to a single charge of supplying dangerous drugs. Kisina – who is related to Schapelle Corby through her half-brother James Kisina – pleaded guilty to the same charge and an additional count of contravening a direction or requirement of a police officer. There is no suggestion Ms Corby had any involvement in the offending and she is not accused of any wrongdoing. Brisbane Supreme Court was told police located the haul of drugs at an apartment in Brisbane in July 2019. They found 32 storage boxes containing 752kg of MDMA with a 71-72 per cent purity, packed in hundreds of vacuum-sealed bags. Crown prosecutor Brendan White said police replaced the drugs with brown sugar and special tracking devices as part of a police operation. Kisina, 31, collected the drugs from the apartment on August 4 that year and drove to meet Englefield, 47, in Coorparoo. The court was told the pair then transferred the boxes into a larger truck, which had been driven by Englefield from NSW. In police videos played to the court, detectives are seen using a remote control fob device to move a false wall which contained the boxes of MDMA. The fob device was seized by police when a search warrant was executed at Englefield’s Lennox Head unit. Mr White said the vehicles being driven by Englefield and Kisina were registered under false names and falsely-created companies – with their own business cards – in an “intense effort” to avoid detection. He said the bulk value of the drugs alone was $45m. “But it had potential once sold in retail to be somewhere between $114m and $536m,” Mr White said. “This represents something in the order of 70 per cent of the MDMA that comes into Australia per year.” Kisina was also captured on film unloading the boxes from the truck. Mr White said the pair were aware the boxes contained dangerous drugs or “some other illegal product” and both “didn’t really care”. Barrister Murugan Thangaraj, acting for Englefield, said neither defendant had anything to do with modifying the vehicles or setting up the fake companies. A bundle of documents, including multiple references and a letter of apology, was tendered in his support. Mr Thangaraj was told Englefield’s role had been “conflated” as there were other people involved in the syndicate who were higher up. “There are people at a senior level, and there are couriers,” he said. Kisina’s barrister Patrick McCafferty said his client had a stable employment and worked for family-owned businesses for two years before the offending. Kisina was joined by a large gathering of family members who supported him in court. The court was told he was only paid $500 to move the boxes. Mr McCafferty said his client was effectively a “courier” in the offending 28 October 2024 Source: News.com

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