Pubdate: 15 Oct 1998 Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Contact: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Copyright (c) News Limited 1998 Author: Nicola Webber and Charles Miranda 20 MILLION HEROIN HITS PURE heroin seized yesterday in Australia's biggest drug haul would have made 20 million "hits" of the killer drug. Police said the record seizure, worth at least $400million, was destined for the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. "It was the purest form of heroin," police agent Ray Tinker said. A strike team of more than 100 Australian Federal Police, Customs and navy were involved in pre-dawn raids codenamed Operation Linnet near Port Macquarie. Almost 400kg of heroin was seized on the secluded beach 300km north of Sydney when police swarmed out of the darkness to surround a small boat. They arrested three Indonesians on the runabout and four Hong Kong nationals waiting on shore. As they swooped, a heavily armed boarding party stormed a freighter anchored 40km off the coast, with support from navy frigate HMAS Bendigo and two Customs boats. The captain and crew were arrested and forced to lie down on the deck with their hands cuffed behind their backs. The 40m Belize-registered freighter, Uniana, had sailed from South-East Asia, arriving in Port Macquarie on Monday night. The strike teams used sophisticated thermal imaging equipment to watch the drugs being off-loaded from the freighter to the runabout. Eighteen people, including seven Hong Kong Chinese nationals and 11 Indonesians, aged from 23 to 48, were in custody last night. Authorities said the drugs came from South-East Asia's notorious "Golden Triangle" - of Burma, Laos and Thailand. The record haul is almost three times the total amount of heroin seized in Australia last year. AFP commissioner Mick Palmer described the drug ring as a sophisticated international syndicate operating in Australia, China and Hong Kong and said the seizure would make a "significant dent" on the world heroin market. "It's up there with some of the biggest seizures made in the world," he said. "Investigations will continue into this syndicate and heroin importers both here and in Hong Kong, and I would expect more arrests to occur." The haul dwarfs the previous record heroin seizure of 123.4kg in Darwin in 1994. Operation Linnet began on August 7 when Customs officers and the AFP intercepted a Hong Kong man, 41, at Sydney airport who they suspected of being involved with a drug ring. The dramatic seizure - involving AFP agents, Customs officers, NSW Police and the National Crime Authority Joint Asian Crime Group - originated from a surveillance operation on Hong Kong streets. On October 7, four alleged members of a Hong Kong syndicate landed at Sydney International Airport. Port Macquarie Local Court heard yesterday the men inspected the remote Grant's Beach, 32km south of the town, over the next five days. At 2.20am yesterday, they allegedly placed torches on poles on the beach and faced them out to sea to act as "signal lamps". Apparently seeing the signal, three accomplices in a large motor launch arrived at the beach. Hidden in the scrub was a camouflaged taskforce of special agents. Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone described the bust as a "spectacular success". "That shows what can be done when you have cooperation at an international level and at a domestic level between federal and state police forces," she said. "A 10kg seizure we'd be very excited about - a 400kg seizure is quite exceptional." Fifteen people were remanded in custody after appearing in court. The other three stayed on the Uniana, which will be taken to Sydney. All 18 will appear in Sydney Central Local Court tomorrow. Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Contact: Author: Nicola Webber and Charles Miranda 20 MILLION HEROIN HITS PURE heroin seized yesterday in Australia's biggest drug haul would have made 20 million "hits" of the killer drug. Police said the record seizure, worth at least $400million, was destined for the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. "It was the purest form of heroin," police agent Ray Tinker said. A strike team of more than 100 Australian Federal Police, Customs and navy were involved in pre-dawn raids codenamed Operation Linnet near Port Macquarie. Almost 400kg of heroin was seized on the secluded beach 300km north of Sydney when police swarmed out of the darkness to surround a small boat. They arrested three Indonesians on the runabout and four Hong Kong nationals waiting on shore. As they swooped, a heavily armed boarding party stormed a freighter anchored 40km off the coast, with support from navy frigate HMAS Bendigo and two Customs boats. The captain and crew were arrested and forced to lie down on the deck with their hands cuffed behind their backs. The 40m Belize-registered freighter, Uniana, had sailed from South-East Asia, arriving in Port Macquarie on Monday night. The strike teams used sophisticated thermal imaging equipment to watch the drugs being off-loaded from the freighter to the runabout. Eighteen people, including seven Hong Kong Chinese nationals and 11 Indonesians, aged from 23 to 48, were in custody last night. Authorities said the drugs came from South-East Asia's notorious "Golden Triangle" - of Burma, Laos and Thailand. The record haul is almost three times the total amount of heroin seized in Australia last year. AFP commissioner Mick Palmer described the drug ring as a sophisticated international syndicate operating in Australia, China and Hong Kong and said the seizure would make a "significant dent" on the world heroin market. "It's up there with some of the biggest seizures made in the world," he said. "Investigations will continue into this syndicate and heroin importers both here and in Hong Kong, and I would expect more arrests to occur." The haul dwarfs the previous record heroin seizure of 123.4kg in Darwin in 1994. Operation Linnet began on August 7 when Customs officers and the AFP intercepted a Hong Kong man, 41, at Sydney airport who they suspected of being involved with a drug ring. The dramatic seizure - involving AFP agents, Customs officers, NSW Police and the National Crime Authority Joint Asian Crime Group - originated from a surveillance operation on Hong Kong streets. On October 7, four alleged members of a Hong Kong syndicate landed at Sydney International Airport. Port Macquarie Local Court heard yesterday the men inspected the remote Grant's Beach, 32km south of the town, over the next five days. At 2.20am yesterday, they allegedly placed torches on poles on the beach and faced them out to sea to act as "signal lamps". Apparently seeing the signal, three accomplices in a large motor launch arrived at the beach. Hidden in the scrub was a camouflaged taskforce of special agents. Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone described the bust as a "spectacular success". "That shows what can be done when you have cooperation at an international level and at a domestic level between federal and state police forces," she said. "A 10kg seizure we'd be very excited about - a 400kg seizure is quite exceptional." Fifteen people were remanded in custody after appearing in court. The other three stayed on the Uniana, which will be taken to Sydney. All 18 will appear in Sydney Central Local Court tomorrow. - --- Checked-by: Pat Dolan