After van with $200m in drugs hits police car
The man has been charged with large commercial drug supply, negligent driving, and not give particulars to police.
THE 26-year-old driver of a van allegedly carrying $200m worth of drugs that crashed into police cars outside Eastwood Police Station last Monday, had “certainly had a very, very bad day”.
“Crashing into police vehicles with that amount of drugs on board is somewhat unheard of – it’s an exceptional set of circumstances,” Detective Chief Inspector Glyn Baker said.
CCTV images released by police, show the Toyota HiAce allegedly swerving sharply and smashing into parked police cars in front of Eastwood Police Station just after 10.30am on Monday, July 22.
One of the police vehicles sustained significant damage, but no one was injured.
About an hour later, an inspector from Ryde Police Area Command stopped the HiAce on Church Street in Ryde.
Det Insp Baker admitted that the inspector was “extremely surprised” when a search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered 13 boxes, each containing 21 one-kilogram bags of a substance which presumptive testing indicated was methylamphetamine or ice.
He said the reason the van swerved wasn’t clear and the alleged driver had declined to be interviewed.
In total, police seized 273kg of ice, with an estimated potential street value of more than $200 million.
The van was also seized for further forensic examination.
Detectives from Ryde Police Area Command, with assistance from the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad, are investigating the incident and have begun a hunt for the syndicate involved.
They have appealed for any dashcam footage from the area for between 10.30am and 11.30am, as well as any CCTV or other vision, or information about the van’s movements throughout the morning.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
