10:51 p.m
Detective Superintendent John Watson said the syndicate involved in the importation was “well resourced and well organised”.
“They were very skilled at what they were doing and they knew the risks,” he said.
“They went out of their way to seemingly fly under the radar.
“We know this was not their first importation. We discovered evidence of previous imports.”
Watson said a “huge operation” unfolded after the seizure on July 27, culminating in 11 Commonwealth search warrants and involving more than 100 officers.
Two men, one aged 24 and the other aged 26, were arrested at a unit in Burwood and have since been charged.
Two Victorian men – aged 34 and 40 – were also stopped in a vehicle at Sydney Olympic Park. Both were arrested and one has since been charged.
One of the three men arrested was an “organizer,” Watson said.
“The others were well entrenched in this particular union,” he added.
“We know there are others, we cannot rule out more arrests.
“We have direct information now that the men from Melbourne were here, with the intention of breaking up components of this (transport) and potentially taking it to Melbourne.
“The community is better off for these arrests and seizures.”
