Twenty-three years for man linked to Cyprus’ biggest ever drugs bust

A man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison following the biggest ever drugs bust with links to Cyprus which saw 645 kilos of MDMA smuggled to Australia in Cypriot charcoal barbecue units or foukous.

The 2019 case stems from the discovery of a container shipped from Limassol to Sydney, stacked with 200 aluminium barbecues which were fitted with false base plates to conceal the drugs.

The 645 kilos reportedly had a street value of about €25 million, while the incident drew international media attention over the creative plot to smuggle drugs.

The case began in July 2019 when police in the Cyprus Drug Law Enforcement Unit (DLEU) tipped off their Australian counterparts about a potential large shipment of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

No details of the man who was sentenced to 23 years on Monday were immediately available, but an announcement said that he had pled guilty to the export and possession of drugs.

The case involves British nationals living in the UK, Cypriots and Australians.

In early December 2019, Australian authorities announced the arrest of two men — a 30-year-old man from Queensland and a 33-year-old Canadian national — for allegedly smuggling the drugs into the country.

The Canadian suspect had arrived in Sydney to visit the warehouse and was arrested in Brisbane. He is believed to have acted as a liaison for the criminal group responsible for importing the MDMA.