Nigerian Man Charged With Operating High-Level Drug Ring From Australian Immigration Detention Centre
During a search of a unit at the detention center on July 11, police found three mobile phones believed to be linked to the alleged drug activities.
Australian police allege 49-year-old Nigerian national Dirichukwu Patrick Nweke used an encrypted messaging service to deal drugs and coordinate a network of runners while detained at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney’s west.
Police in a statement said Nweke is accused of directing a large-scale drug operation involving significant quantities of methylamphetamine.
According to organised crime investigators, Nweke established and coordinated a network of runners who conducted transactions on his behalf. During a search of a unit at the detention center on July 11, police found three mobile phones believed to be linked to the alleged drug activities.
Nweke faces multiple charges, including directing a criminal group and supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
Police had previously seized two kilogrammes of methamphetamine and $169,000 in cash connected to the syndicate, highlighting the scale of the operation.
Last Wednesday, detectives conducted a search of a home in Liverpool, uncovering 750 grams of methylamphetamine and 90 grams of heroin hidden in a toilet bowl. Police allege this discovery was an attempt to dispose of the drugs, and additional heroin was found on the bathroom floor.
During the Liverpool search, officers also recovered $325,000 in cash and an encrypted electronic device. Vision supplied by police shows riot squad officers breaking down the door and finding $50 notes stacked inside a cardboard box, providing visual evidence of the operation’s financial scale.
In addition to Nweke, police arrested a 24-year-old man alleged to be a runner for the drug syndicate. The younger man has been charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group, and other related offenses.
Both Nweke and the 24-year-old man were denied bail following their brief court appearances.
The charges reflect the severity of the alleged crimes and the ongoing efforts by police to dismantle organized drug networks operating within and outside detention facilities.
The investigation into the drug ring continues as police aim to uncover more details about the network’s operations and participants. The use of encrypted messaging services to facilitate drug trafficking poses significant challenges for law enforcement agencies.
Authorities are focusing on disrupting the communication channels used by criminal groups and targeting key individuals involved in coordinating illegal activities from within detention centers. The case against Nweke and his alleged accomplices underscores the complex nature of contemporary drug trafficking operations.
The NSW Police Force in a statement on its website said, “Strike Force Brevifolia was established by State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad and the NSW Crime Commission in May 2024 to investigate a number of criminal networks supplying large commercial quantities of drugs across NSW.
“As part of inquiries, detectives – with assistance from Australian Border Force (ABF) – identified a syndicate being run out of an immigration detention centre in Villawood.
“Just before 4pm on Thursday 11 July 2024, strike force officers executed a search warrant at the centre, where they arrested a 49-year-old man.
“During a search of the unit, police located three mobile phones.
“Police had also previously seized two kilograms of methylamphetamine and $169,000 in cash linked to the syndicate.
“The man was taken to Bankstown Police Station where he was charged with two counts of supply indictable quantity of prohibited drug, supply large commercial quantity of prohibited drug and direct criminal group.
“He was refused bail to appear in Bankstown Local Court on Friday 12 July 2024.
“Police will allege in court the man was using an encrypted messaging service to deal large quantities of methylamphetamine.
“Police will further allege the man had established a network of runners outside of the detention centre, who he coordinated and tasked to carry out the transactions on his behalf.
“About 7.50am on Wednesday 24 July 2024, strike force detectives – with assistance from the Public Order & Riot Squad – executed a search warrant at an address in Liverpool.
“During the search, police located 750 grams of methylamphetamine and 90 grams of heroin in a toilet bowl, in what police will allege was an attempt to dispose of the drugs.
“A further 90 grams of heroin was found on the bathroom floor.”
