A Sudanese model is among five men who have been charged in connection with a major drug bust involving cocaine with a street value of $105 million hidden in shipping containers.
Anei Dut, once voted South Sudan’s “third most handsome man”, who has graced fashion show catwalks for David Jones, was charged by Strike Force Biles detectives in a series of raids on Thursday .
The 28-year-old is believed to be part of a syndicate that allegedly hid hundreds of kilos of cocaine in a “scam, scam” method of using shipping containers.
The process involves packaging medications in legitimate shipping containers and then removing them before the illegal contents are noticed.
Anei Dut (pictured), once voted South Sudan’s “third most handsome man”, is believed to be part of a syndicate that allegedly hid hundreds of kilos of cocaine.
He was arrested at a property in Plumpton, about 50 kilometers west of Sydney.
Dut’s Facebook page shows several photos of him posing and wearing a stylish outfit, but he cut a strikingly different figure as he stepped out of the house wearing a printed sweater and gray pants dark, wearing a pair of worn slippers.
Armed police officers from the riot squad had burst into the premises moments earlier before Dut was taken away handcuffed in the back of a police van.
Dut was taken to Blacktown Police Station and charged with eight offenses including participating in a criminal group, being involved in the supply of a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, possessing ammunition without holding a license or permit, and possessing burglary tools and means of concealing the face with intent. commit a criminal act.
Dut (pictured) has modeled in several fashion shows, including one recently for fashion retailer David Jones.
The 28-year-old man was arrested at a western Sydney property by Strike Force detectives on Thursday.
He was refused bail and appeared before Blacktown Local Court on Thursday.
Strike Force detectives along with Raptor Squad officers have made several arrests at several properties in Western Sydney.
Armed with eight search warrants, strike force detectives seized three kilos of cocaine and four kilos of methylamphetamine during the operation.
Up to $37,000 in cash, a replica firearm and ammunition were also seized during the searches, along with luxury jewelry and electronic devices.
Strike Force detectives have already seized 201kg of cocaine with a street value of $105 million.
Six people have been charged with several alleged offenses which are currently before the courts.
Detectives carried out searches at properties located in Woodpark, Rydalmere, Wenthworthville, Plumpton, Merrylands, St Clair and Seven Hills.
Officers arrested several men, including three aged 18, during coordinated searches of the properties.
An 18-year-old man arrested at a Woodpark home allegedly ordered the criminal syndicate to “snatch” the containers.
The man was taken to Granville Police Station and charged with 12 offences.
He was refused bail and will appear in a children’s court on Friday, October 20.
Police say the man received several contracts that alerted him to a drug shipment.
He then instructed members of the drug syndicate to locate and break into the container where the drugs were hidden.
The drugs were allegedly supplied to people before members of the group were paid for selling them.
Detectives measured several kilograms of drugs (pictured), including three kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of methylamphetamine.
A total of $37,000 in cash was seized (pictured) by detectives and several other items, including luxury jewelry and electronics, were also found and taken for examination by detectives.
Another 18-year-old man was arrested at a house in Merrylands and charged with 11 offenses including participating in a criminal group and being involved in the supply of a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
He was taken to Granville police station where he was refused bail. He will appear in Parramatta Local Court on Friday.
The third, aged 18, was arrested in Bondi, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and charged with seven offences. He was also refused bail and will appear in juvenile court on Friday.
Police also raided a property in Seven Hills where they arrested a 25-year-old man.
Footage of the arrest taken by NSW Police showed the man dressed in a black and white jacket and gray sweatpants being escorted by two detectives from a building in the area.
The man was then led away by several police officers in handcuffs before being taken to Blacktown police station.
Detectives arrested several men during the coordinated raids, including a man in Seven Hills (pictured) who was taken away by officers from a unit complex in the area.
He was charged with participating in a criminal group, dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing ammunition without holding a license or permit, as well as possessing identity information with a view to committing a criminal act.
He appeared before Blacktown Local Court on Thursday after being refused bail.
Objects seized during the searches will be subject to forensic examination.
Strike Force Biles was established by the NSW State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad in May 2023 to investigate an organized crime group.
