An interstate crime syndicate has been dismantled after police allegedly discovered $11 million worth of drugs hidden in secret compartments of sedans.
The 55kg shipment of cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine was allegedly found in several Toyota Camrys that had been transported on flatbed trucks from Sydney to Melbourne.
Australian Federal Police have also reportedly discovered $1 million in cash.
The items were found in specially designed hiding places that had been installed in the back seats of the sedans.
Officers searched several properties, including a home in Deer Park, Niddrie and Maribyrnong in Victoria and a car in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, on June 25.
Police allegedly found illicit drugs, including 22kg of cocaine, 3kg of MDMA, 1kg of methamphetamine and some cash.
Two loaded firearms were also reportedly discovered.
A 23-year-old Niddrie man was arrested in Deer Park and a 20-year-old New South Wales man was handcuffed in Maribyrnong.
Police allege a fleet of Toyota Camrys were used to smuggle drugs between Sydney and Melbourne. The Camrys had secret compartments behind the rear seats (pictured)
AFP will say more than $1 million in suspected criminal proceeds were found and seized in the floor of a van (pictured) at Airport West on May 16, 2024.
The men were charged with one count of trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug and one count of possession.
The Niddrie man was also charged with one count of possessing a traffickable quantity of firearms.
Police also identified a third man allegedly linked to the organised crime syndicate.
A property in Craigieburn, Victoria, was then searched and electronic devices were seized before a 23-year-old man was arrested.
AFP said the man was responsible for 25kg of methamphetamine and 5kg of cocaine.
More than $1 million in suspected criminal proceeds was allegedly seized from the floor of a van at Airport West on May 16, 2024.
He is charged with two counts of drug possession, two counts of trafficking, as well as trafficking in proceeds of crime worth more than $1 million.
The drugs allegedly smuggled into the Camrys (pictured) totalled 55 kilos and were worth $11 million. Agents also found and seized $1 million in the compartments.
Subsequent searches revealed two loaded pistols (pictured)
All three men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear again in Melbourne Magistrates Court on 29 October 2024.
The maximum sentence the men could receive is life imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher said the Camrys were suspected of having secret compartments to hide drugs from authorities and evade detection.
“Organized criminal syndicates will continue to evolve and devise new creative methods of concealment to avoid detection by law enforcement,” he said.
‘Our message to criminals is clear: their efforts will fail and the AFP will always be one step ahead of their plans.
‘I would like to thank the AFP officers involved in the investigation and highlight their tireless efforts to dismantle criminal organisations that cause immense harm to Australians through the vile drug trade.
‘The quantity of illicit drugs seized from this syndicate had an estimated street value of over $11 million and had the potential to facilitate over 37,500 individual street transactions, had it reached Australian streets.’
