A man has been charged after police allegedly smashed an illegal pharmaceutical drug ring in Sydney’s west in a raid that seized around $12million worth of Xanax.
Raptor Squad officers found 772kg of Alprazolam, a generic name for Xanax, when they stormed a storage unit in Auburn in Sunday night.
Police also intercepted a truck in Wagga Wagga, in the NSW Riverina, on Wednesday night and allegedly found shopping bags filled with almost $1million in cash.
The driver, Bogdan Shadrin, 28, was arrested and taken to Wagga Wagga Police Station.
He was charged with supplying a prohibited drug greater than a large commercial quantity and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Raptor Squad officers found more than 700 kilogams worth of Alprazolam when they descended on a storage unit in Auburn
The drug is commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, but it is sold illicitly for recreational purposes because of its disinhibition, euphoria, and anxiolytic effect
During the search police seized shopping bags allegedly containing almost $1million in cash
Shadrin appeared before Wagga Wagga Local Court on Thursday.
He has not applied for bail and will remain in custody on remand until the next court date.
The matter has been transferred to Bankstown Local Court, where he will appear via audio visual link on June 11.
The state’s elite organised crime detectives set up Strike Force Chadderton two months ago to crackdown on interstate cash movements linked to crime.
The drugs haul is the largest single seizure of pharmaceutical drugs in NSW history.
Xanax is commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, but it is also sold illegally for recreational purposes because of its euphoric and anxiety-relieving effects.
