SYDNEY: Australian police have arrested 18 people after seizing almost 270 kg of illicit drugs during an investigation into an organised crime syndicate operating across the country.
The police forces in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA), as well as the Australian Federal Police (AFP), said in a statement on Tuesday that the arrests were made by a joint strike force that was established earlier in 2025 to investigate the large-scale supply of illicit drugs by an organised syndicate.
Strike force detectives executed 30 search warrants across NSW and WA between May and October, during which they located and seized 150 kg of pseudoephedrine, 95 kg of methamphetamine, 21 kg of ketamine, 2 kg of cocaine, 14 firearms, almost 2.4 million Australian dollars ($1.5 million) in cash and lab equipment.