Seven Kilos of Ice, a Pistol, and a Lot of Cash Was Seized in Sydney Overnight

On Wednesday afternoon New South Wales Police executed Strike Force Diest, seizing seven kilograms of ice in concurrent raids across two properties in Sydney.

The smaller portion of the total seizure came from an address in Zetland, four kilometres south of the Sydney CBD. Police from the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad entered an address at around 5 PM where they found one kilo of ice and arrested four men.

Simultaneously, another unit executed a search warrant on Wattle Street in Ultimo. There they found another six kilos of ice, a loaded gun, and more than $1.25 million cash—all in fifties and hundreds. One man was arrested at the scene.

Police say the ice seized has a street value of around AU$700,000. Three of the four men from the Zetland property were formally charged. The fourth was detained as an illegal immigrant.

Those three men have been hit with the same set of charges: "supply of a prohibited drug (large commercial quantity)" and "participation in criminal group." All were refused bail, and will appear in court on Thursday.

The man arrested in Ultimo has been hit with a few extra charges, mostly related to the confiscated gun. According to this NSW police report, this includes two counts of supplying a prohibited drug (large commercial quantity), dealing in the proceeds of crime, participation in a criminal group, and several firearm offences. The defendant will also appear in court on Thursday.

Wednesday's bust is one similar large-sized ice seizures this year. In February, the AFP conducted the largest seizure of liquid methamphetamine in Australia's history—all hidden in bra padding. That same month, WA police seized 27 kilos of ice from a Perth hotel room, and in March, the AFP netted another 150 kilos of methamphetamine in Sydney.