Overview
- This week NSW Police executed the final stage of Strike Force Golporta, arresting several alleged Coconut Cartel associates including Henry Kupa and charging them with large‑scale drug and criminal‑group offences.
- In April detectives seized about 390 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden at an Emu Plains property that police say was imported for cartel distribution.
- Last week senior cartel member Lorenzo Lemalu was shot dead outside a Ho Chi Minh City restaurant and Vietnamese police have detained two men who told investigators they were hired by an overseas operator.
- Police say an alleged offshore kingpin, Anthony Pele, remains at large in South‑East Asia and investigators are working with the AFP and international partners to pursue extradition and further intelligence targets.
- Authorities warned the dismantling could prompt retaliation, noted the cartel used contract criminals including a 15‑year‑old and an alleged corrupt prison officer, and said intelligence from the probe is being fed into other organised‑crime investigations.