Drug syndicate smashed in Australia's New South Wales

A haul of illicit drugs worth about 15 million AU dollars (13.4 million U.S. dollars) have been seized and 12 people arrested in a major police operation across Australia's southern New South Wales (NSW), the state police confirmed Thursday. A police strike force was formed in 2012 to investigate a major drug supply syndicate operating throughout southern NSW. The syndicate was allegedly involved in the production, distribution and sale of commercial quantities of methylamphetamine and cannabis. On Wednesday morning, police arrested three men and seized nine kilograms of methylamphetamine, with an estimated street value of 9.0 million AU dollars (8.04 million U.S. dollars) during an operation in the NSW town of Gundagai. The trio, aged 62, 63 and 40, appeared briefly in Wagga Wagga Local Court on Thursday morning charged with serious drug offenses. They are key players in the syndicate. Police also raided another 11 properties Wednesday in Sydney, Canberra and near Griffith, Cowra and Batemans Bay and arrested four others. At a rural property at Crowther south of Cowra, police discovered about 2,750 cannabis plants, with an estimated value of 5.5 million AU dollars (4.9 million U.S. dollars). Police also seized seven guns, 60 kilograms of gunpowder, 90, 000 rounds of ammunition and a number of vehicles, machines and documents during the raids. Five other people had already charged over the syndicate before Wednesday's raids, police said. Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke said Wednesday's operation would disrupt the illicit drug trade in many parts of southern NSW. "We are confident yesterday's arrests will seriously disrupt the syndicate's activity," he said in a statement. "This has been a tremendous example of the cooperation which exists between State Crime detectives, local area police and specialist officers' right across the state, ensuring it is not easy for drug dealings to happen in any town in NSW."