A Dolls Point woman and Blair Athol man have been charged by Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST) investigators for their alleged roles as trusted insiders in the failed importation of 506kg of cocaine in late August 2025.
The MAST, made up of investigators from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW Police Force (NSWPF), works directly with law enforcement partners from the Australian Border Force (ABF), NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and Australian Taxation Office (ATO), to target trusted insiders.
These arrests follow the arrest of three Sydney men for their roles in a failed $164 million cocaine shipment, which was seized under Strike Force Paiporta a fortnight ago.
Two of the men - who were also trusted insiders - were arrested by police after they attempted to gain access to 506kg of cocaine concealed behind a false wall in a shipping container at a Sydney freight facility.
After the initial arrests, MAST investigators gained intelligence linking the Dolls Point woman, 40, to the trio.
It will be alleged the woman, an employee at the Sydney freight facility, was paid by the syndicate to conduct internal computer searches to locate the container - found to contain 506kg of cocaine - within the facility.
Police will allege she searched the location of the container on 13 separate occasions while not at work.
On 1 September, 2025, SF Paiporta investigators executed a search warrant at the woman's Dolls Point apartment and seized two mobile devices, which are subject to further forensic examination.
She was taken to St. George police station and formally charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth) and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for each offence is life imprisonment.
The woman was denied bail at Sutherland Local Court and is expected to reappear at the Downing Centre Local Court on 17 September, 2025.
Following the initial arrests, the Blair Athol man, 39, also came to the attention of investigators. Police will allege he was a forklift driver at the freight facility and the syndicate paid him $10,000 cash to move the container once the Dolls Point woman located it.
MAST investigators yesterday (11 September, 2025) executed a search warrant at his home, seizing the man's electronic devices.
He was taken to Campbelltown police station and formally charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth) and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for each offence is life imprisonment.
The man appeared today before the Campbelltown Local Court, where he was refused bail. He is expected to reappear before the court on 29 October, 2025.
Inquiries into the source of the illicit drugs and anyone involved in the importation plot remain ongoing with SF Paiporta not ruling out further arrests.
AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said the AFP and its partners were resolute in their pursuit of criminal syndicates.
"Our inquiries don't stop once the drugs have been seized. Our MAST investigators doggedly pursue these syndicates until they're eradicated," Det Supt Fogarty said.
"We will be relentless in pursuing the syndicate responsible for this importation. We are watching, we are ready, and we will bring you to justice.
NSW Police Detective Acting Superintendent Richard Puffett said the strike team is a commitment to restoring integrity in our border operations.
"Every vulnerability we uncover, every enabler we stop, takes us closer to dismantling the networks that feed drugs into our communities.
"This strike team is a crucial step towards strengthening our borders and safeguarding NSW and Australia."
The MAST has 41 full-time investigators and analysts from both Commonwealth and NSW law enforcement agencies, leveraging the capabilities, resources and legislative powers to investigate and target trusted insiders assisting transnational serious organised crime syndicates impacting NSW.
Transnational Serious Organised Crime and Trusted Insiders
Transnational serious organised crime (TSOC) groups are focused on finding 'a door' into Australia to import and move their illicit commodities.
A trusted insider is any person who, through their employment or association with a supply chain business, uses their access to goods, systems, or premises for malicious purposes to facilitate TSOC-related activities without law enforcement detection.
Trusted insiders are very valuable and highly sought by TSOC groups. They act as key enablers to compromise the supply chain and allow illicit goods into Australia, causing harm to NSW communities.
How the MAST approach is different to other law enforcement strategies?
The MAST aims to disrupt TSOC groups by targeting trusted insiders to 'close the door into Australia'. The MAST is commodity-agnostic and will target anyone who uses a position of trust within the supply chain to enable TSOC groups to bring illicit goods into Australia.
Police investigations typically focus on the illicit commodity, its origin, destination, or the person or groups involved. The MAST tracks how the illicit commodity was able to bypass border controls, identifies the vulnerabilities exploited, and closes the door to prevent future exploitation by TSOC groups.
