Information about suspicious gambling patterns?

Woman charged with drug supply as part of investigation into strange gambling patterns - SCC Organised Crime Squad

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 02:41:29 PM

An investigation sparked by suspicious gambling patterns at a Sydney casino has resulted in a woman being arrested and charged with commercial drug supply.

Last year (2013), detectives from the Organised Crime Squad’s Casino and Racing Investigation Unit became aware of a number of people gambling suspicious amounts of money at a Sydney casino.

Detectives formed Strike Force Randine to investigate the strange gambling patterns and, in doing so, became aware of the recruitment of people with gambling debts to travel to countries in Asia to collect parcels of ephedrine, a pre-cursor in the manufacture of methylamphetamine (’ice’). Police will allege the manufactured ‘ice’ was then supplied throughout the Sydney metropolitan area.

On Thursday 31 October 2013, a coordinated operation by police resulted in the arrest of five people, and the seizure of a loaded firearm, ammunition, $280,000 in cash, drugs and pre-cursor chemicals.

All five were charged, and their matters remain before the court.

Yesterday (Monday 17 March 2014), a further arrest was made when a 39-year-old woman attended Fairfield Police Station with her lawyer. Police allege the woman was involved in organising the importation of more than 4kg of ephedrine and, consequently, charged her with supply commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.

The woman was refused bail by police to appear in Fairfield Local Court, where she was subsequently granted bail to appear in Central Local Court on 15 April 2014.

The investigation by Strike Force Randine continues.