Drug Offences

A Supreme Court jury is told a known ice dealer was gunned down in his car as he fled a "drug rip" — the ripping off of a drug dealer — north of Newcastle. 

Crime kingpin Tony Mokbel tells a court he "100 per cent" did not tell then-lawyer Nicola Gobbo he was willing to identify corrupt officers and admit to being a drug trafficker.

Two Victorian men will face court after 139 kilograms of cocaine were found allegedly hidden inside luxury buses in an international shipment that arrived in Adelaide via Perth, with border force officials saying cocaine shipments are being seized at "unprecedented levels". 

WA police inspect a grow house and other contraband seized during a weeklong crackdown on outlaw bikies in WA's Midwest.

Police allege they found a sophisticated hydroponics set-up, drugs and ammunition after raiding multiple properties in the Western Australian town of Geraldton.

An expansion to Queensland's list of detectable drugs during random roadside intercepts identified 322 drug driving offences involving cocaine in its first six months between July and December last year.

About 150,000 disposable vapes worth $4.5 million were seized in two shipments in South Australia.

On Sunday, the ABC revealed Mei Lin, who is understood to have Australian residency, had been arrested and charged over a "black flight" drug plot.

US officials have arrived for talks with the Ecuadorian leadership, prompting Venezuela to express concerns over foreign interference.

The life of disgraced former NSW detective Roger Rogerson has come to an end. But the former cop's passing leaves many unanswered questions.

The former police officer was awarded at least a dozen accolades for his work on some of the country's most high-profile cases before turning to a life of crime and spending his final days behind bars.

The arrest of company director Mei Lin in Brisbane last week has raised concerns in PNG government circles due to her links to business interests associated with political figures, including former deputy prime minister Moses Maladina.

Jacinta Allan is seeking advice on whether pill testing should be introduced in Victoria as her government faces increased pressure to prevent drug-related harm. 

A woman is in a critical condition after a suspected drug overdose, with two men arrested for drug offences at Juicy Fest on Friday night. 

Ecuador is reeling from a fresh wave of violence that has shaken the South American nation, with the president launching a military crackdown after criminal groups took more than 100 prison staff hostage and gunmen stormed a live television broadcast.

A 38-year-old Queensland man arrived in WA under police escort on Tuesday night to face serious drug charges relating to the seizure of 145kg of cocaine.

The 38-year-old is the fifth person to be charged following the alleged seizure of 145kg of cocaine in Eucla and Esperance last year, nearly half of which was allegedly found during the search of a trailer being towed through a WA border checkpoint.

Viewers watched as masked gun-wielding assailants entered the TV studio, with gunshots heard in the background of a live broadcast. 

The notorious Los Choneros gangster Jose Adolfo Macias escaped on Sunday, marking his second prison break in 10 years. 

More cocaine has washed on beaches between Sydney and Newcastle, with a large haul drifting into Botany this week, which has taken the total found over the past two weeks to 170 kilograms.

Two men with alleged links to Afghan organised crime have been charged over a suspected attempt to smuggle drugs into Australia in wheat thresher machines.

A total of 124 kilograms of cocaine has been found in sealed packages scattered along the coastline by members of the public over the past week.

More packages of cocaine have allegedly been discovered at beaches in Newcastle and the Central Coast, taking the total amount that has appeared on NSW beaches over the past week to 124kg.

Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, is found unconscious in a car park while reportedly being investigated as part of a government crackdown on illegal drug use.

The categorical pardon builds on a similar round issued just before the 2022 midterm election that pardoned thousands convicted of simple possession.