Bodybuilder who competed against Olympic swimming champions accused of masterminding a ‘cocaine school’ set up to manufacture 700kg of the drug
- Rhys Ferszt, 33, named as the alleged ringleader of $175million cocaine plot
- Ferszt, a bodybuilder and former swimmer was arrested outside Darwin gym
- Police say a message to Ferszt about a cocaine shipment led to the arrest
- Nine people were arrested across three states for their alleged role in a drug ring
A bodybuilder who once competed against Australian swimming legend Grant Hackett is the alleged kingpin of a ‘cocaine school’.
Rhys Ferszt, 33, was arrested on Thursday outside a Darwin gym with police alleging he is the mastermind of a plot to manufacture close to $175million worth of cocaine.
Police allege Ferszt was told about a shipment of cocaine smuggled into NSW which ultimately led to the mass arrests of his group.
Australian Federal Police allege he was the ringleader of the plot to manufacture 700kg of cocaine with a street value of close to $175million in a purpose-built drug lab in the small town of Durong about four hours drive north-west of Brisbane.
Rhys Ferszt (pictured), 33, named as the alleged ringleader of $175million cocaine plot. Ferszt, a bodybuilder and former swimmer was arrested outside a Darwin gym on Friday
Police say a message to Ferszt about a cocaine shipment led to the arrest. Nine people were arrested across three states for their alleged role in a drug ring
Police seized a 7.8m boat (above) they believe was used to collect drugs dropped hundreds of kilometres off the NT’s coast
Ferszt was one of nine people charged over the drug bust, including his girlfriend and housemate.
Following his arrest, police seized thousands of dollars in cash, electronic devices, steroids and a 7.8m boat from his property.
He grew up on the Gold Coast and at one point trained under Denis Cotterell, who also trained Olympic champions Grant Hackett and Giaan Rooney.
Ferszt competed alongside Hackett and also swam against Ky Hurst in the 2011 Australian 10km open water championships at the London Olympic trials, finishing 10th.
He also worked as a lifeguard with the Gold Coast City Council lifeguard service.
An aerial view of the alleged cocaine factory, located in the rural Queensland town of Durong, shows the shed-like structures where cocaine was allegedly extracted from an unknown substance
The alleged drug syndicate began its operations on May 18 when a dual Spanish-Colombian national, Fabio Fernandez-Pulgarin, 48, travelled to Australia.
Ferszt and Fernandez-Pulgarin allegedly intended to teach others how to extract cocaine from a mystery substance used to hide the drug during travel.
Police allege the two men then travelled to southeast Queensland in late May to team up with a Gold Coast man, 30, to build a custom ‘cocaine factory’ in Durong.
Fernandez-Pulgarin was arrested at the Durong property along with a Colombian-born Sydney man, Alexander Villegas Jaranillo, 38.
Police seized over $1million in cash from a 32-year-old Brisbane woman’s home – the cash is believed to be the profits from the cocaine cartel
‘This syndicate was an unrelenting, well-resourced cartel that has gone to significant lengths to conceal themselves from Australian law enforcement,’ Commander Kate Ferry said on Friday.
‘(The raid) sends a message that wherever you are, you are not beyond the reach of Australian Federal Police.’
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were reportedly spent on the construction of the shed-like factory which police said indicated the cartel was confident it would be in use for years.
Australian Federal Police arrested a total of nine people on Thursday night who they allege ran an Australian branch of a Colombian cocaine cartel (pictured, a map of operations)
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