Ice and spice: Two more are charged after $300MILLION worth of meth is found hidden inside 768 bottles of Sriracha chilli sauce
- Police arrested a 21-year-old man and a 50-year-old man in Sydney on Friday
- Four men, age 45, 30, 34, 36 and were arrested and charged last October
- Bosnian-born Aleksija Vracar, 24, was also charged with offences in December
Two more men have been charged after $300million worth of crystal meth was found in 768 bottles of Sriracha chilli sauce.
An air cargo consignment with bottles containing 400kg of methylamphetamine was first intercepted by Australian Border Force officials in Sydney in October 2019.
Four men, aged 45, 30, 34 and 36 were arrested and charged with drug-related offences at the time.
Bosnian-born Aleksija Vracar, 24, was also charged with a string of offences after detectives seized three firearms, nearly $650,000 cash, and two kilograms of ecstasy at her western Sydney unit in December.
Further investigations has led to the arrest of two others in Sydney last week.
The air cargo consignment with bottles containing 400kg of methylamphetamine was first intercepted by Australian Border Force officials in Sydney in October 2019
On Friday, detectives arrested a 21-year-old man and a 50-year-old man (pictured)
On Friday, detectives arrested a 21-year-old man from Granville during a vehicle stop on Victoria road in West Ryde, in the city's west, at 2pm.
A 50-year-old man was arrested on the same stretch of road and had his car searched.
Share this article
Police allegedly found a money counting machine, a mobile phone and wads of cash in different currencies, including AU$63,000, €1,000 and US$1,000.
About AU$500,000 was also allegedly found in a cooler bag in the boot.
About AU$500,000 was also allegedly found in a cooler bag in the boot in the 50-year-old's car
Police say preliminary testing found the bottles contained a total of 400kg of meth
The methylamphetamine, worth more than $300million, was found in bottles of chilli sauce sent from the United States
Documents were also seized from his home in Sans Souci, south Sydney.
Both men were taken to Ryde Police Station where the younger man was charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
He was refused bail and will appear at at Central Local Court on Tuesday.
The older man was charged with two counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Police will allege in court that the man laundered money for an organised crime syndicate involved in the importation of illicit drugs.
He was refused bail and will appeared before Burwood Local Court on Wednesday.
Pictured: A sample of the Sriracha chilli sauce seized by police in the drug bust last year
The amount of ice found inside the bottles had an estimated street value of $300million and came from the United States.
Last year, detectives visited Ms Vracar's Merrylands unit to question her about an alleged plot to use fake identification to import drugs and execute a search warrant.
Instead, they allegedly found $644,000 cash stashed in shopping bags, a envelope a shoebox and handbag, two kilograms of ecstasy, 250g of cocaine, 340g of cannabis, mobile phones, SIM cards, drug paraphernalia and various documents.
Police also allegedly found a .22 calibre shortened bolt action rifle and semiautomatic pistol hidden in a suitcase in a bedroom while a second semi automatic pistol was found in a vacuum sealed bag.
Aleksija Vracar (pictured) was charged with multiple offences over her alleged role in importation of the drug ice concealed in bottles of chilli sauce from the US in October
Detectives allegedly found almost $650,000 cash stashed away inside Vracar's Merrylands unit
The estimated street value of the drugs seized was almost $200,000.
Police alleged Vracar used fraudulent identification to set-up four businesses to assist with the importation of illicit drugs.
She was charged with four counts of possession of identity information to commit indictable offence, knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, possess unauthorised prohibited firearm and two counts of possession of an unauthorised pistol.
Police allegedly found a .22 calibre shortened bolt action rifle, two semiautomatic pistols and ammunition stashed away inside a Merrylands unit in December
Aleksija Vracar (pictured) spent Christmas behind bars after she was charged
She was also charged with not keep firearm safely- prohibited firearm, possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority, and three counts of supply of a prohibited drug.
Vracar has not been charged with drug importation charges.
Investigations are ongoing as part of Strike Force Diffey, which was set up investigate coordinated money laundering across Sydney and the importation and supply of illicit drugs into NSW.
