Pubdate: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Copyright: 2000 The Sydney Morning Herald Contact: GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001 Fax: +61-(0)2-9282 3492 Website: http://www.smh.com.au/ Forum: http://forums.fairfax.com.au/ Author: Les Kennedy, Chief Police Reporter '$1M DRUGS HAUL' AS POLICE RAID FACTORIES A pharmacist and the alleged sergeant-at-arms of a branch of the Bandidos motorbike club were among 11 people arrested in police raids on clandestine drug factories in western Sydney and rural NSW yesterday. Police said last night that the raids by 92 officers on 12 premises had resulted in the seizure of more than $1million worth of amphetamines. Drug manufacturing equipment, chemicals and four pistols, including two semi-automatic Glocks, were also seized. The operation began just before midnight with police raiding a farm at Rock Forest, 20 kilometres west of Bathurst. At the Pine Ridge Road property, police allegedly uncovered an amphetamine manufacturing plant along with 30 litres of pseudoephedrine. Arrested were George Farah, 31, of Mount Druitt, the alleged sergeant-at-arms of the western Sydney chapter of the Bandidos bikie club; Peter Sidirourgos, 27, of St Clair; and Angela Conn, 31, of Lethbridge Park. All three were refused bail when they appeared late yesterday in Bathurst Local Court, the men charged with conspiring to manufacture a commercial quantity of amphetamine and also manufacturing amphetamines. Conn, whose home was also raided, was charged with possession of drugs and firearm offences. They will all reappear before Bathurst court on August 30. Following the Bathurst raid, teams of police struck shortly before dawn yesterday at 10 other premises at Penrith, St Clair, Mount Druitt and Quakers Hill, arresting seven men. Police alleged searches of the properties resulted in the seizure of more than $20,000 in cash, indictable quantities of "speed", large quantities of precursor pseudoephedrine tablets, and drug manufacturing equipment including drums of solvent. At two separate premises one-kilogram bags of amphetamine were seized. Shortly before 2pm yesterday another team of detectives raided a chemist shop at St Clair, arresting a pharmacist aged in his 50s who was last night charged with knowingly being involved in the manufacture of drugs through the alleged supply of precursor drugs used in the manufacture of amphetamines. The man, and seven men arrested in the Sydney raids, are expected to appear before Penrith Local Court today. In an unrelated operation, police yesterday seized more than $250,000 in suspected stolen goods during raids on 18 pawnbroker shops and three second-hand dealers in the Sydney CBD, Kings Cross and eastern suburbs. During the operation, code-named Condor, police arrested 10 people as they arrived at pawnbroker shops allegedly in possession of stolen goods that they intended to hock for cash. - --- MAP posted-by: John Chase