Three men, including the head of a "sophisticated" drug syndicate known as "ethnic Brad Pitt", have received lengthy jail terms for their roles in the importation of 56 kilograms of methylamphetamine into WA.
Nikola Maksimovic, 35, Jason Gray, 48 and Quinn Newton, 44, were found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of arranging the importation, which involved bringing the drugs to Perth from the eastern states by rail in May 2019.
The drugs had a purity of around 80 per cent and an estimated street value of between $4.5 million and $6.5 million.
They were packed in one-kilogram bags, which were wrapped in rubbish bags, put in plastic tubs, and then concealed at the back of a sea container behind carpet underlay, insulation and bubble wrap.
But unbeknown to the three men, police were onto them, and in the days before the importation, the drugs were secretly swapped for an inert substance.
When Gray and Newton flew from Victoria to Perth to conduct the handover to Maksimovic's syndicate, they were watched by police.
Gray was seen driving a hired van to the car park of a Belmont hardware store, where he hopped out, leaving the keys on top of one of the rear tyres.
Another car later pulled up next to it and the driver, a member of Maksomovic's syndicate, was seen retrieving the keys from the tyre.
He then transferred the plastic tubs into his vehicle and left $142,500 inside the hire car, which was Gray and Newton's payment.
What were thought to be the drugs were driven to a property in South Lake for "warehousing", but police arrived and raided the premises.
Gray and Newton were later arrested at their hotel rooms, where police also found the cash that had been left in the hired van in the hardware store car park.
'Ethnic Brad Pitt' fled
The members of the drug syndicate had usernames — Maksimovic's was "ethnic Brad Pitt", while others included "beer monster", "temper" and "Ellendegenerit".
Maksimovic was tipped off that the importation had been uncovered and he fled the country to Thailand, leaving his wife and two children behind.
He eventually returned in January 2020 believing he was no longer a suspect, unaware that a member of his syndicate was co-operating with police.
The court heard those involved in the plan used encrypted mobile phones to communicate so their messages and calls could not deciphered.
Maksimovic at 'top level of drug hierarchy'
Justice Anthony Derrick told Gray and Newton they had played an integral role in bringing a significant quantity of drugs into Western Australia.
"You were the essential conduits between the eastern state's supplier and the syndicate," he said.
Justice Derrick said the men had committed the offence purely for significant financial reward, knowing that the syndicate's intention was to distribute the drugs in the West Australian community.
He sentenced both men to 20 years jail. They were made eligible for parole, meaning they will have to spend 18 years behind bars before they can be released.
Judge Derrick described Maksimovic as "at the top level of the drug distribution hierarchy in this state" and the head of "a large-scale and sophisticated drug dealing enterprise".
He said there was no question that if the importation had been successful and the drugs distributed in the community, they would have caused immense harm, so he had to impose a sentence that would deter others.
Justice Derrick imposed a jail term of 24 years on the 35-year-old and he will have to serve 22 years before he can be released on parole.
