Vic: Eight face court on drug charges

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2001
Vic: Eight face court on drug charges

By Mike Hedge and Nick Lenaghan

MELBOURNE, Aug 24 AAP - A man police believe spearheaded a $2 billion drug shipment
appeared in court today on 11 charges resulting from early morning raids across Victoria.

Antonios Mokbel, 36, of suburban Pascoe Vale, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court
accused of trafficking in a variety of illegal drugs including methamphetamine, amphetamine,
LSD, cocaine, and other hallucinogens.

The court was told Mokbel was the leading figure connected to the 550kg of pure, pharmaceutical-grade
ephedrine seized by police today.

It was estimated the ephedrine could have made as many as 40 million ecstasy tablets.

Federal Police have also charged Mokbel with being knowingly concerned with the importation
of three kilograms of cocaine in November last year.

Charged along with Mokbel were Joseph Parisi, 46, of Fawkner, Mark Lanteri, 28, of
Brunswick West and Rob Karam, 34, of Brunswick, all in Melbourne.

Eight other unrelated arrests were made in the same operation.

The arrests followed early morning raids across the state today, which came at the
end of a year-long investigation.

More than 100 police were involved in today's raids, part of an operation code-named Kayak.

Operation Kayak had identified three statewide drug syndicates responsible for peddling
amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, pseudo-ecstasy, hashish, LSD and pseudoephedrine.

Today's arrests brings the number made during Operation Kayak to 31 in the past 10 months.

The ephedrine was allegedly hidden among a consignment of porcelain toilet bowls and
hand basins in a shipping container.

Drug Squad boss Commander Rod Lambert said today's seizure was the biggest in which
Victoria Police had ever been involved.

"The ephedrine had a wholesale value of $10 million, but when converted to pseudo-ecstasy
tablets, would have a retail street value of close to $2 billion," Commander Lambert said.

He said Victorian officers had been working closely with the Federal Police to establish
links between a shipping container seized on the Melbourne waterfront 10 days ago, and
which contained up to three tonnes of hashish hidden among ceramic tiles.

Following today's raids, police will apply to the courts for seizure of assets with
an estimated value of more than $15 million, including a Ferrari car.

The ephedrine haul amounted to about six months' supply of ecstasy to Victorian consumers
and its seizure could lead to a "drought" of the drug.

Commander Lambert warned users to be wary of what may become available on the streets
to replace the high quality ingredients seized today.

AAP mh/clr/mo/was/de

KEYWORD: KAYAK NIGHTLEAD

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