Drugs, stolen goods, firearm found

A SEARCH of a house in Sydney?s south west has uncovered drugs, stolen goods and an unauthorised firearm.

Police had been investigating the house on Augustus Way in Ambarvale for suspected drug supply since early this month.

When the property was searched yesterday afternoon police found illicit drugs and restricted substances, an unauthorised air pistol as well as alleged stolen property.

A 25-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of drugs, prescribed restricted substances, an unauthorised firearm and stolen goods.

The man was refused bail and will appear in Campbelltown Local Court today

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Customs seize 20kg of drugs

CUSTOMS officers seized almost 20kg of illicit drugs last week in Sydney.

The seizures included 6.1kg of pseudoephedrine and 12.6kg of ContacNT, taken from 7 parcels travelling from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.

Customs and Border Protection National Manager of Cargo Operations, Jagtej Singh said the drugs were concealed in household dusters, the sides of cardboard boxes, hair shampoos, curtain rods and water pumps

"Customs and Border Protection is committed to targeting illicit drug trade and preventing dangerous drugs from entering Australia and reaching our communities,'' he said.

"No matter the complexity or size of concealments, our dedicated officers have the training and technology to detect and seize these prohibited substances,'' Mr Singh said.

Initial testing returned positive results for the precursor drugs ContacNT and pseudoephedrine.
ContacNT is a cold and flu medication in some international markets and contains high levels of pseudoephedrine, a precursor substance which is used to manufacture amphetamine-type substances, including methamphetamine.

It is prohibited to import pseudoephedrine into Australia without a permit.

Those caught importing a marketable amount of a border controlled precursor, such as ContacNT or pseudoephedrine, could face a fine of up to $510,000 and/or 15 years in prison.
 

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Customs find drugs hidden in shampoos

ALMOST 20kg of the precursor drugs used to make "ice" have been seized after customs officers found them in household items such as shampoos.

The seizures were made in Sydney last week and included 6.1kg of the drug ContacNT found in parcels travelling from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.

The drugs were concealed in household dusters, the sides of cardboard boxes, hair shampoos, curtain rods and water pumps, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement this morning.

Initial testing showed positive results for the precursor drugs ContacNT and pseudoephedrine.

ContacNT is a cold and flu medication in some international markets and contains high levels of pseudoephedrine, a substance which is used to manufacture illegal drugs such as methamphetamine or ice.

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UAE denies torturing tourists over drugs

Three British tourists who were arrested for allegedly attempting to sell the drug Spice claim they have been tortured in prison. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: The Courier-Mail

THE United Arab Emirates rejected charges that Dubai police had tortured three young Britons arrested more than seven months ago on drugs charges, a day after a court denied them bail.

"The UAE is aware of allegations of torture of three British citizens by police in Dubai. An internal investigation was conducted and these allegations were found to be baseless," the UAE embassy in London said, in a statement carried by WAM state news agency.

According to the UK-based organisation Reprieve, Grant Cameron, Karl Williams and Suneet Jeerth, all 25, have been "subjected to torture including beatings and electric shocks" by police in the Gulf emirate.

The three tourists, arrested on July 10, face charges of possession and planning to sell just over one kilogram (2.3 pounds) of synthetic cannabis known as Spice, as well as accusations of consuming drugs, the Gulf News daily said.

If convicted, the men could face maximum jail term of 15 years each, in addition to a fine of 200,000 dirhams ($53,000), the newspaper said.

They appeared in court on Thursday after their trial opened on January 28, the daily said, adding that they were denied bail by the judge who adjourned the hearing to March 14 when prosecution witnesses will be heard.

Reprieve, which said its lawyer Marc Calcutt spoke to the defendants, claimed they were "subjected to beatings, threatened by having guns put to their heads and, in the case of Mr Williams, having electric shocks administered to the testicles."

Police took Mr Williams and Mr Cameron by surprise while in a car in a parking lot in the Dubai Marina neighbourhood while the third man was standing a few metres from the car, the daily said.

The squad found narcotics in envelopes hidden under the mats and in the trunk, it said.

The National daily said tests found the three had consumed Spice. The men said the drugs belonged to someone else and that they had consumed Spice before arriving in the United Arab Emirates, although that would also qualify as a crime in Dubai.

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