A baggage carousel technician helped cartels smuggle at least 100kg of cocaine through Sydney Airport – and collected millions in the process.
Anthony Robert Parker used his access to the conveyor belt to intercept bags full of drugs arriving from Santiago in Chile.
He would then load them on to an airport buggy and innocuously drive them out of the airport and deliver them to an unknown dealer.
Baggage carousel technician Anthony Robert Parker helped cartels smuggle at least 100kg of cocaine through Sydney Airport
Parker used his access to the conveyor belt to intercept bags full of drugs, load them on an airport buggy, innocuously drive them out of the airport and deliver them to a dealer
Massive quantities were involved as police alleged the 100kgs of cocaine he delivered was worth $18.96 million, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Parker was paid handsomely for his services, blowing his ill-gotten gains on holidays to to Europe and the U.S., high-end jewellery, and built a new house.
Despite recruiting four people to launder money for him in bank deposits of just under $10,000, he still had $5 million in cash stashed under the stairs of his home in southwest Sydney.
His enterprise came unstuck on April 13, 2014, when baggage handlers picked up a kite surfing bag that was too heavy and bent oddly.
CCTV footage showed a successful delivery in February that year where Parker pulled a black sack on to a buggy and drove away
While customs took the bag away for inspection Federal Police saw Parker waiting for it along with another one, but they never showed up.
Parker was sentenced to 33 years jail last month with a non-parole period of 22 years
CCTV footage showed a successful delivery in February that year where Parker pulled a black sack on to a buggy and drove away.
Parker was finally arrested in September 2014 after a five-month Federal Police investigation starting with the failed April shipment.
He was sentenced to 33 years jail last month with a non-parole period of 22 years for what Judge Deborah Sweeney called ‘high level’ criminality.
‘Anyone who spends time in this court knows the damage done to people’s lives by this drug,’ she said.
However, despite facing decades in prison, Parker never gave up his cartel partners and police still have no idea who he was working with.
‘Nothing is known about the importation hierarchy and Mr Parker’s position in it,’ Judge Sweeney said.
‘[He must have been] in touch with someone as someone had to manipulate the baggage tag system in Santiago.’
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.