A fifth person will now be facing court for allegedly stealing baby formula worth A$1 million ($716,318) after a police raid in Sydney, Australia, last year.
New South Wales Police confirmed that 4,000 tins of baby formula, large quantities of vitamins, and Manuka honey had been confiscated from two homes in Carlingford back in August 2018.
Strike Force Dungv investigators also seized more than A$215,000 ($154,030) in cash from one of the properties, which is claimed to be proceeds from crime.
The tins typically sell for about A$30 ($21.50) in Australia but in China they can fetch more than A$80 ($57.30). The Manuka honey costs about 30 percent more in China compared to Australia, ranging between A$120 and A$150 a kilogram, or $39.10 and $48.90 a pound respectively.
Police at Ryde Police Station arrested both Xiaoyu Ke, 29, on Jan. 4, 2019, and her father Wueqi, 53, on Dec. 19, 2018. Detectives previously arrested mother Lie Ke, 48, and a non-related man, 35, suspected to be involved in the theft last year. The Ke family runs a newsagency at Carlingford Court shopping centre.
A joint effort between the Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) resulted in son Jian Feng Ke, 31, being arrested when he arrived at Sydney International Airport from China on Jan. 19.
ABF searched the man’s luggage before strike force detectives confiscated it and moved it to Mascot Police Station. The man was arrested with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group involved with criminal activity.
The other two women and two men are accused of participating in the organised syndicate that collected more than A$1 million ($716,318) worth of stolen products from across the city, which were eventually onsold to overseas buyers.
All of the arrests were in response to retailer complaints made to detectives from the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad in February 2018, claiming that baby formula and vitamins are being stolen across parts of Sydney.
Jian Feng Ke appeared at Parramatta Bail Court on Jan. 20 where he was granted strict conditional bail to re-appear at Parramatta Local Court on Jan. 30. His request to have a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. extended to 10 p.m., so he could continue working at the newsagency, was rejected.
The father and daughter arrested on Jan. 4 were charged with knowingly participating in a criminal group involved in crime, and recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime. Both were granted strict conditional bail and are due to appear at Burwood Local Court on Feb. 5.
Squad Commander and Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty praised the work of investigators.
The Australian Taxation Office has frozen assets of one family member and commenced legal action to freeze the money of the other suspects.
Supermarket groups have introduced a limit of two baby formula tins per individual shopper but many syndicates simply return to the supermarket multiple times until the shelves are empty.
