Shanu Krawiec appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday and was charged with two counts of importing illegal drugs into Australia. He was remanded in custody to appear again on October 3. Mr Krawiec, 32, is one of several Australians charged during a three-year Australian Federal Police investigation. AFP agents claim the probe smashed the global smuggling syndicate allegedly run by the supergrass from Amsterdam. An extradition request to get the supergrass back to Melbourne was approved in April but he is still in an Amsterdam jail pending an appeal. Before he left he provided police with the names of his celebrity cocaine customers. Those he dobbed in included top models, entertainers and other members of Melbourne's A list. The AFP claims the arrest of Mr Krawiec in Thailand allegedly shut down the Bangkok end of the supergrass's worldwide operation.
Thai police played a major role in tracking down and arresting Mr Krawiec for the AFP on January 24 and AFP agents flew into Melbourne with him last week.
The syndicate was allegedly operating out of the Netherlands sending drugs to Australia, Canada, Thailand and other countries. AFP intelligence suggests the gang specialised in getting couriers to hide cocaine in their bodies. The supergrass, who is the only alleged syndicate member whose name remains suppressed, secretly taped Tony Mokbel for police. He was also instrumental in getting Victoria's drug squad scrapped in 2001. Evidence gathered by him was crucial to the convictions of two corrupt members of the squad. The supergrass fled overseas in May 2004 when underworld figures put a $1 million bounty on his head after discovering he was an informer. A Melbourne man who played a minor role in the syndicate was jailed this month. Alexander Leigh Neil Pugh, 32, was given a three-month sentence.
Melbourne Magistrates' Court was told Pugh's job was to help Mr Krawiec organise money for the operation's cocaine imports.
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