Two individuals are set to appear in court following a significant drug bust in Sydney, where authorities confiscated more than six tonnes of butanediol, commonly referred to as “bute.” The operation began on Monday when police conducted a firearms compliance check in Croydon and discovered a parcel from a storage facility in Homebush, believed to contain approximately five litres of bute. This substance is known to have links to sexual assaults and overdoses, prompting immediate police investigation.
Subsequent searches at a postal facility in Silverwater led to the seizure of 225 kilograms of bute. On Tuesday, police continued their efforts at a post office in Rhodes, where they retrieved 23 litres of the substance. Further inquiries allowed officers to stop a vehicle on Nipper Street in Homebush, resulting in the seizure of an additional 110 kilograms of bute, which led to the arrest of a 27-year-old driver.
Additional search warrants were executed at a storage facility in Homebush and a unit on Liverpool Road in Ashfield. At the Ashfield unit, police found about $28,000 in cash. In the storage facility, over 6.3 tonnes of bute were allegedly uncovered, leading to the arrest of a 28-year-old woman at the unit. Initially released without charges, she was rearrested later at her home in Ashfield and subsequently charged with participating in the commercial supply of drugs.
Both arrested individuals face serious criminal charges, including commercial drug supply, and have been denied bail. Their court appearance marks a crucial step in addressing the illicit drug trade in the region.