Police have seized an estimated $5 million worth of drugs from a Canberra house allegedly linked to an "extremely bold" syndicate.
Wei Wang, a 33-year-old Chinese national, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday after being arrested at his Flynn home on Thursday.
He has pleaded not guilty to 54 charges including 28 counts of supplying a declared substance, 22 counts of supplying an anabolic steroid, and single counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing proceeds of crime.
It was not Wang's first time before the court with the 33-year-old previously facing similar charges in January 2023. These charges were later dismissed.
On Thursday, police seized 59,000 vials and 156,000 tablets of what is believed to be steroids and prescription drugs after executing three search warrants in Flynn, O'Connor and Whitlam.
Officers also seized two BMWs, an extendable baton, more than $35,000 cash and other items.
Alleged Canberra drug syndicate
In a linked raid, police identified what is believed to be Australia's largest illegal controlled and prescription drug distribution network, Detective Acting Inspector Emma Quade said during a press conference on Friday.
Michael Adam Kustic, 39, is accused of being the "boss" of the group which operated under the encrypted message handle "OzPharmLabs" that distributed drugs nationally through Australia Post.
Kustic and two others were arrested in December, when police claim to have uncovered and "enormously destabilised" the purported online pharmacy.
"Follow up investigations by our detectives identified an affiliated syndicate also based in Canberra," Detective Acting Inspector Quade said on Friday.
"We believe that these syndicates were working alongside each other."
In an "extremely bold" move, the syndicate continued to sell illegal drugs despite arrests made in December last year, Detective Acting Inspector Quade said.
"This group has stepped up and continue to supply controlled substances throughout Australia."
Wang is accused of being the controller of the affiliated syndicate, using the encrypted message handle "Nexnos Pharma".
Bodybuilding, weightlifting forums
Nexnos is accused of on-selling steroid and prescription drugs purchased overseas through encrypted messaging apps and distributing them though the post.
The drugs were allegedly promoted through online bodybuilding and weightlifting discussion forums.
"The issue that we have with illegal substances is that they're made in conditions that are not controlled," Detective Acting Inspector Quade said.
"We don't know what is in them, and what risks but that may pose to the community [and] we don't know that what they are sold as is in fact what they are."
'Double-edged sword'
In court, Wang's defence lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith was required to prove his client had special or exceptional circumstances favouring the granting of bail.
However, Wang's bid for freedom was denied after magistrate Alexandra Burt found the lawyer's claims did not meet this threshold.
Mr Kukulies-Smith had argued the prosecution case was "weak", and a series of messages between Kustic and a user named D.W6699 could not be linked to Wang.
Prosecutor Morgan Howe said the investigation was in its early stages but had involved police surveillance of Wang, and "controlled buys" of drugs through the alleged syndicate.
Mr Howe told the court almost $1 million was exchanged between the two users in an encrypted chat, but the defence lawyer claimed this could not be linked to bank accounts controlled by Wang.
The magistrate labelled the ongoing police investigation "a double-edged sword", but ultimately refused bail.
Wang is set to face court again in September.
