A Brisbane man, Daniel Wayne John Roberts, has been apprehended by the Australian Federal Police on charges of leading a transnational organized crime syndicate responsible for a failed 900-kilogram drug operation that caused cocaine packages to drift onto beaches in New South Wales. The AFP claims that Roberts, aged 36, is the mastermind behind a criminal network engaged in the smuggling and distribution of large quantities of drugs into Australia, predominantly via maritime routes, with alleged connections to a specific outlaw motorcycle group.
The allegations against Roberts involve a range of offenses, including using violent means to retrieve debts and intimidate rivals by instructing individuals to physically harm, threaten with firearms, firebomb, and extort his clients. Additionally, Roberts is implicated in alleged drug trafficking activities, such as smuggling nearly 2 tons of cocaine into Australia within the last year alone, estimated to have a street value of $683 million. He reportedly adopted aliases like WANTED and John Dillinger, a name shared with a renowned gangster from the Great Depression era, in his clandestine operations.
During a press briefing, AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer disclosed that Roberts is believed to have overseen the smuggling of 565 kilograms of cocaine into Western Australia in August 2023 and the trafficking of 900 kilograms of cocaine near Brisbane's shoreline in November of the previous year. The investigations into Roberts have been ongoing for a year, revealing further allegations of his involvement in plotting 20 instances of importing drugs, totaling over 20 tons, to Australia. Roberts is accused of having connections to an international drug supply chain and is believed to pose a significant threat to community safety, according to law enforcement officials.