Drug Supply Charges Brought Over Alleged Supply of Fake Cocaine

Detectives from the New South Wales Organised Crime Squad have laid criminal charges against three people accused of belonging to a South-American network that travelled to Sydney last month to off-load counterfeit cocaine to local crime groups.

The charges 

Strike Force Bookara

The Organised Crime Squad set up Strike Force Bookara to investigate an alleged South-American crime syndicate suspected of moving large commercial quantities of cocaine into New South Wales.

It is alleged the group flew from Spain to Sydney in May 2025 with the intention of selling 95 kilograms of what substances they wanted buyers to believe was high-grade cocaine.

And although it turned out to be nothing of the sort, the law in New South Wales is that presenting a substance as a prohibited drugs constitutes the offence of drug supply, even if the substance contains no such drug at all.

North Rocks Raid

At 8.15 pm on Wednesday, 11 June 2025, detectives executed a search warrant at a unit in North Rocks. Inside, officers allegedly found:

• 10 “bricks” of white powder (later confirmed not to be cocaine),
• $121,000 in Australian cash plus foreign currency,
• 14 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and numerous bank cards, and
• Documents detailing overseas money and cryptocurrency transfers.

Subsequent testing revealed the bricks were not cocaine, yet police allege the group was marketing the fake product to other Sydney crime networks at $90,000 per kilogram.

Pattern of Fraud

Investigators assert that the syndicate sold counterfeit cocaine to four separate criminal networks across Sydney since May 2025 and ran a similar operation in London earlier in the year, using the same ruse to deceive buyers

Arrests and Charges

Five suspects were initially arrested and taken to Parramatta Police Station over the allegations.

Two men, aged 61 and 27, were charged with a range of offences including commercial drug supply and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Following further inquiries, three people, a man aged 27-years, another man aged 62-years and a woman aged 32-years were charged with entering, being found on or leaving a drug premises. 

The 27-year old man was additionally charged with knowingly dealing in the proceeds of crime.

All three were brought before Parramatta Local Court on 16 June 2025 where their lawyers made successful bail applications.

Summary of Alleged Offending

Police allege the syndicate attempted to flood Sydney’s illicit market with 95 kilograms of fake cocaine, pocketing close to $9 million had the scam gone undetected. The investigation under Strike Force Bookara is ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.

The Law on Selling a Prohibited Drug… Even If It’s Fake

Under section 25(1) of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW), it is an offence to supply or knowingly take part in the supply of a prohibited drug, regardless of whether the substance is genuine or fake, so long as the supplier represents it to be a prohibited drug.

This means that selling a substance you claim is cocaine even if it turns out to be inert or fake can still amount to a drug supply offence under NSW law.

Maximum Penalty for Supplying a Prohibited Drug

The maximum penalty for drug supply depends on the drug type, quantity and whether the case is finalised in the Local Court or a higher court such as the District or Supreme Court.

The maximum penalties for commonly supplied drugs are:

Maximum penalties

What Does the Prosecution Have to Prove?

To establish the offence of drug supply, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that:

1. A person supplied, or knowingly took part in the supply of, a substance,
2. The substance was a prohibited drug, and
3. The person knew or believed, or was aware there was a significant or real chance, that the substance was a prohibited drug.

To ‘supply’ includes to sell or distribute, or agree to do so, to offer for supply, to keep or have in your possession for supply, to send, forward, deliver or receive for supply, and to authorise, direct, cause, suffer, permit or attempt any of those acts.

To ‘take part in’ means to:

• Take, or participate in, or cause any step to be taken, in the process of the supply,
• Provide or arrange finance for any such step, or
• Provide the premises in which any such step is taken, or suffering or permitting any such step to be taken in premises where you are the owner, lessee or occupier, or in the management of.

Defending a Drug Supply Charge

Legal defences to drug supply charges include:

• That there was no supply or intention to supply,
• That a person was temporarily holding the drug with the intention of returning it to the owner,
• That no representation was made that the substance was a prohibited drug in the event the substance was not a prohibited drug,
• That the person was acting under duress, and
• That the police search was illegal (which may lead to evidence of the drugs being excluded).

Contact Sydney Criminal Lawyers

If you or a loved-one has been charged with a drug offence, call Sydney Criminal Lawyers® on (02) 9261 8881 to arrange a free first conference with a lawyer who specialises defending drug charges.

Our expert defence team has decades of experience in successfully defending drug charges, including some of Australia’s most serious and complex drug supply and importation cases.