Australia: 100 arrested in police operation targeting Sydney drug dealers

Sydney, Dec 9 (IANS) Over 100 people have been charged and arrested in a major police operation targeting Sydney drug dealers, police in Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday.

Among the 108 people who were arrested and have been charged following the operation across Sydney over three weekends, 64 have been charged with supply of a prohibited drug and 44 with drug possession offences. One person was also charged with a domestic violence-related offence, reports Xinhua news agency.

Anyone convicted of supplying a prohibited drug in NSW faces a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.

During the arrests, police officers from Strike Force Northrop seized cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, ketamine and methamphetamine with an estimated street value of 210,000 Australian dollars ($134,332).

The arrests included a 22-year-old Korean national who was allegedly found in possession of 21 bags of cocaine and 60 doses of MDMA. He was charged with three counts of supply of a prohibited drug and one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said that the operation highlights the Strike Force Northrop's commitment to combating illegal drug supply.

"Whether they are major drug suppliers, mid-level or street level, I will continue to put resources into disrupting their operations and prosecuting them for their true criminality," he said in a statement.

The strike force was established in 2017 to target drug dealers in Sydney.

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