Drugs worth $43m and exotic animals seized in NSW police raids

   

A property that was searched during an operation targeting a major drug syndicate on the New South Wales central coast on Monday. Photograph: NSW Police

Police say they have smashed a drug syndicate and seized $43m worth of drugs and a python on the New South Wales central coast.

On Monday, officers from Strike Force Gingera, Operation Galantin and Strike Force Raptor executed a series of search warrants at properties in NSW.

A 38-year-old Ourimbah man was refused bail after being charged in relation to the multimillion-dollar drug outfit.

Police say they found an active methylamphetamine lab at the property. Officers also seized a quantity of MDMA and two exotic animals – a South American macaw and a diamond python.

Drug squad Detective Superintendent Nick Bingham said Monday's arrests capped a big year in the fight against drug crime.

"The number of clan labs shut down by police in NSW during 2013 now totals 113," Bingham said. "Furthermore, we have seized millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs and charged hundreds of people with significant drug supply offences."

During the raids at other properties, police arrested five other people. Two 32-year-old men were to face court on Tuesday after police seized a Glock pistol, a Luger pistol, cash, steroids and three vehicles at a property in Matcham.

A 37-year-old Holgate man will appear in court in February on fraud and proceeds of crime charges after more than $500,000 in jewellery, steroids, electronic devices, financial documentation and more than 20 litres of chemical substances were found at his home, police allege.

A 27-year-old man in Matcham man was also charged with participating in a criminal group and will appear in court on February 4.

In Erina, a 30-year-old man was arrested and charged with commercial drug supply and participation in a criminal group. He was refused bail to appear in Gosford local court on Tuesday.

Police also seized a Shelby Cobra vintage sports car, two air rifles, two stun-guns, cannabis and cash from a property in Palmdale.

Bingham reminded the public they have a role to play in battling drug crime. "In particular, methylamphetamine has been known to ravage people's lives. Many long-term users lose lots of weight, develop skin and internal infections, and succumb to irrational, aggressive and even psychotic behaviour,” he said.

He advised people to look out for "drug houses" and "if you spot something suspicious in your neighbourhood, call us".

  

Australia beat England to regain Ashes

England captain Alastair Cook concedes his side were outplayed in every department as they surrendered the Ashes to Australia in Perth.

The hosts completed a 150-run win in Perth on the final afternoon - despite a maiden century from Ben Stokes - to go 3-0 up in the five match series and claim the urn for the first time since they inflicted a whitewash on Andrew Flintoff's men four series ago.

Cook said: "We've been outskilled in all aspects. It's hard to say that as a player but that's the honest truth. 

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"We've got to keep looking at ourselves, keep doing what we can do which is work as hard as we can to turn things around."

Cook insisted his side had not been taken by surprise by Australia.

Ruthless

"We knew what a good side they were in England," he said. "Any side coming to Australia, you have to be at the top of your game to compete. We haven't been there.

"They've been ruthless - ruthless in never letting us back in any game when they got ahead of us.

"But there's a lot of talent in the dressing room. Everyone's hurting now, it's an incredibly tough place to be. That happens in sport - there's a winner and a loser and at the moment we're in the losing dressing room and it hurts.

"All we can do is work as hard as we can on our games and come out on Boxing Day and try and put in a better performance."

Stokes' 120 in 353 all out was at least a crumb of comfort to England.

Cook said: "It was a fantastic innings - full of character on a tough wicket with those cracks, it's always daunting to see them. He put them out of his head and I thought it was an outstanding hundred.

"You never know in sport. That partnership was just starting to build. But, as always, just when we've got a partnership going we haven't managed to continue."

In notional pursuit of a world-record 504 to win, or in the hope of eking out England's second innings for more than five sessions in all, Stokes deserved significant credit for delaying the inevitable for so long.

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His skill and determination, in only his second Test, were justly rewarded with a memorable and chanceless century.

Outplayed throughout

It was also England's first of a series in which they have fallen badly short against hosts hell-bent on revenge after three successive Ashes defeats.

Cook's tourists travelled down under perhaps in expectation rather than mere hope of beating their oldest adversaries again.

Instead, they have been outplayed throughout - and it was down almost single-handedly to 22-year-old Stokes that even a modicum of pride was salvaged here.

It has taken only 14 days of cricket, in fact, for Australia to win the Ashes for the first time since their 5-0 whitewash of Andrew Flintoff's team six winters ago.....Read more

The Commonwealth Of Austrailia

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Australia

Country

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. 

Capital: Canberra

Dialing code: 61

Prime minister: Tony Abbott

Population: 22.68 million (2012) World Bank

Government: Federal monarchy, Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary system

Colleges and Universities: University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Australian National University, University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, University of Adelaide, University of Wollongong, Monash University, RMIT University, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, University of South Australia, Curtin University, Macquarie University, Deakin University, University of Western Sydney, La Trobe University, University of Newcastle, University of Western Australia, James Cook University, University of Technology, Sydney, Charles Sturt University, Flinders University, University of Tasmania, Swinburne University of Technology, Murdoch University, Victoria University, Australia, Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland, University of New England, University of Canberra, Australian Catholic University, Federation University Australia, Bond University, Edith Cowan University, Open Universities Australia, Canberra Institute of Technology, Southern Cross University, University of the Sunshine Coast, Charles Darwin University, Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, SPJCM, University of Notre Dame Australia, Australian Defence Force Academy, The Polytechnic of Western Australia, University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM, Melbourne Business School, JMC Academy, Chisholm Institute, 

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