Inside the home of a $ 1.6 million Colombian cartel in a quiet suburb of Sydney – where a fake bookshelf hid a passage to rooms full of drugs and money
- An exceptional hiding place, hidden behind a fake bookshelf, hiding two secret rooms
- AFP found cannabis, cocaine, $ 130,000 in cash and imitation weapons at home
- Two men were asked to seize $ 1.6 million worth of property in southern Sydney on Friday
By Olivia Day for the Daily Mail Australia
Posted: 02:06, 25 April 2022 | Updated: 04:03, 25 April 2022
It is alleged that a Colombian criminal cartel operating in Sydney used a seemingly normal suburban home as its base, hiding its drug collections in a secret room hidden behind a fake bookshelf.
The secret drug room was revealed when a $ 1.6 million home in Sylvania, southern Sydney, was raided in 2017, seizing cocaine, cash, cannabis and imitation weapons.
The home was confiscated on Friday because it was purchased with proceeds of crime.
Unusual photos reveal how cocaine smugglers used an electric door disguised as a bookshelf to hide an unusual stash of illegal drugs (pictured)
The electric door was used to hide two windowless rooms full of ordinary rubbish such as cardboard boxes and paint boxes, as well as illegal drugs (pictured)
The five-bedroom property was searched by Australian federal police in April 2017 as part of an investigation by a Colombian organized crime group.
As employees entered the home, they encountered a seemingly simple bookshelf crowded with books, including a series of Lonely Planet travel guides.
The electric door was used to hide two windowless rooms that were filled with household waste such as cardboard boxes and paint boxes – and illegal drugs and piles of money.
In a statement Sunday, AFP said the rooms contained “cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, cell phones, scales, bags of tongs, a substance commonly used to cut drugs, and equipment used to detect surveillance devices.” .
Officers also found $ 130,000 in cash and two imitations of firearms at the home.
Officers also found $ 130,000 in cash and two imitations of firearms in other parts of the home.
The five-bedroom property was searched by Australian federal police in April 2017 as part of an investigation by a Colombian organized crime group.
One of the owners was sentenced to three years and six months in April 2019.
The 48-year-old has now pleaded guilty to money laundering and alleged drug trafficking.
Just three months later, AFP imposed restraining orders on the property, meaning the $ 1.6 million home could not be handed over.
They argue that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the home “was used for or in connection with various drug crimes”.
On Friday, two men were asked to seize the British Commonwealth house after it was believed to have been used as a “tool for crime”.
In a statement Sunday, AFP said the rooms contained “cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, cell phones, scales, bags of tongs, a substance commonly used to cut drugs, and equipment used to detect surveillance devices.”
The five-bedroom house will be sold and the proceeds will go to the confiscated assets account managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority.
The five-bedroom house will be sold and the proceeds will go to the confiscated assets account managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority.
AFP National Manager Confiscation of Criminal Assets Stefan Djerga said the attack was an example of AFP’s bilateral strategy when it comes to organized crime.
The AFP wants to ensure that when offenders are released from prison, they no longer have the loot available from criminal activity, “Mr Jerga said.
“Australians who follow the law work hard to buy their first home – go to work, pay their taxes and save on a deposit. Organized criminals neglect their greed and often use violence to amass their criminal wealth.
“The AFP will continue to do maximum damage to the criminal environment, especially organized criminals who spread misery in the community through illicit drug trafficking.”
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