Latest news with #JonathanLindsayFagan
The Advertiser
21-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Botched 'dead drop' could land man in jail for life
From a parked van near an inner-city reserve, a man retrieves a sports bag he allegedly believes contains cocaine worth millions. It's called a "dead drop" - with a long history of use in espionage - but unfortunately for the guy who came to collect the package, he was on the wrong side of the intelligence gathering. Federal police had already replaced the 30kg of wrapped cocaine bricks inside the bag and then arrested their suspect at the end of a foot chase following his return with the goods to Sydney's salubrious eastern suburbs. They say they seized the fake cocaine along with encrypted devices and anabolic steroids from his Double Bay home and a nearby unit. Jonathan Lindsay Fagan, 40, has swapped the prestige postcode for a jail cell after declining to apply for bail in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. He has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, which can carry a lifetime prison sentence. The case returns to court on Tuesday. The arrest came after a three-month AFP investigation into an alleged transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating in Australia. The inquiry had disrupted the group's operations, Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said. "This result should serve as a serious warning to potential drug traffickers in Australia - don't get comfortable - because the AFP is constantly working to target and disrupt your criminal operations and bring you to justice." Police allege the drugs had a potential street value of almost $10 million. Friday's operation came a day after another man flew in to Sydney from Dubai allegedly carrying more than 10kg of cocaine in a suitcase. From a parked van near an inner-city reserve, a man retrieves a sports bag he allegedly believes contains cocaine worth millions. It's called a "dead drop" - with a long history of use in espionage - but unfortunately for the guy who came to collect the package, he was on the wrong side of the intelligence gathering. Federal police had already replaced the 30kg of wrapped cocaine bricks inside the bag and then arrested their suspect at the end of a foot chase following his return with the goods to Sydney's salubrious eastern suburbs. They say they seized the fake cocaine along with encrypted devices and anabolic steroids from his Double Bay home and a nearby unit. Jonathan Lindsay Fagan, 40, has swapped the prestige postcode for a jail cell after declining to apply for bail in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. He has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, which can carry a lifetime prison sentence. The case returns to court on Tuesday. The arrest came after a three-month AFP investigation into an alleged transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating in Australia. The inquiry had disrupted the group's operations, Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said. "This result should serve as a serious warning to potential drug traffickers in Australia - don't get comfortable - because the AFP is constantly working to target and disrupt your criminal operations and bring you to justice." Police allege the drugs had a potential street value of almost $10 million. Friday's operation came a day after another man flew in to Sydney from Dubai allegedly carrying more than 10kg of cocaine in a suitcase. From a parked van near an inner-city reserve, a man retrieves a sports bag he allegedly believes contains cocaine worth millions. It's called a "dead drop" - with a long history of use in espionage - but unfortunately for the guy who came to collect the package, he was on the wrong side of the intelligence gathering. Federal police had already replaced the 30kg of wrapped cocaine bricks inside the bag and then arrested their suspect at the end of a foot chase following his return with the goods to Sydney's salubrious eastern suburbs. They say they seized the fake cocaine along with encrypted devices and anabolic steroids from his Double Bay home and a nearby unit. Jonathan Lindsay Fagan, 40, has swapped the prestige postcode for a jail cell after declining to apply for bail in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. He has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, which can carry a lifetime prison sentence. The case returns to court on Tuesday. The arrest came after a three-month AFP investigation into an alleged transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating in Australia. The inquiry had disrupted the group's operations, Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said. "This result should serve as a serious warning to potential drug traffickers in Australia - don't get comfortable - because the AFP is constantly working to target and disrupt your criminal operations and bring you to justice." Police allege the drugs had a potential street value of almost $10 million. Friday's operation came a day after another man flew in to Sydney from Dubai allegedly carrying more than 10kg of cocaine in a suitcase. From a parked van near an inner-city reserve, a man retrieves a sports bag he allegedly believes contains cocaine worth millions. It's called a "dead drop" - with a long history of use in espionage - but unfortunately for the guy who came to collect the package, he was on the wrong side of the intelligence gathering. Federal police had already replaced the 30kg of wrapped cocaine bricks inside the bag and then arrested their suspect at the end of a foot chase following his return with the goods to Sydney's salubrious eastern suburbs. They say they seized the fake cocaine along with encrypted devices and anabolic steroids from his Double Bay home and a nearby unit. Jonathan Lindsay Fagan, 40, has swapped the prestige postcode for a jail cell after declining to apply for bail in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. He has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, which can carry a lifetime prison sentence. The case returns to court on Tuesday. The arrest came after a three-month AFP investigation into an alleged transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating in Australia. The inquiry had disrupted the group's operations, Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said. "This result should serve as a serious warning to potential drug traffickers in Australia - don't get comfortable - because the AFP is constantly working to target and disrupt your criminal operations and bring you to justice." Police allege the drugs had a potential street value of almost $10 million. Friday's operation came a day after another man flew in to Sydney from Dubai allegedly carrying more than 10kg of cocaine in a suitcase.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Time of India
Undercover cops dressed as tradies raid Double Bay Mansion, seize fake cocaine, encrypted phones, steroids in $30M drug sting
Australian Federal Police arrested Jonathan Lindsay Fagan in a Double Bay mansion raid, alleging his involvement in a $30 million cocaine importation attempt. Fagan was apprehended after retrieving a substituted substance from a 'dead drop' in Alexandria. The AFP seized the substance, encrypted phones, and steroids, highlighting their commitment to combating transnational drug syndicates using covert methods. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What police found Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who is Jonathan Fagan? What next The Australian Federal Police AFP ) on Friday(June 20) stormed a multimillion-dollar mansion in the harbourside suburb of Double Bay, arresting a 40-year-old man allegedly linked to a $30 million cocaine importation Lindsay Fagan, the man at the centre of the investigation, was captured on video being led away by undercover officers dressed as tradies, a strategy used to blend in with the upscale street's constant hum of renovations and gardening described the scene as surreal. 'A series of really loud bashing and crashing sounds started echoing,' said one resident, who had been working from home when unmarked vehicles swarmed the street. 'Suddenly, guys in fluro vests and cargo pants were pulling out radios and weapons. It was full-on.'Fagan, wearing a grey tracksuit with a medical paper gown draped over, was handcuffed outside the home on Holt Street. Officers also raided a nearby unit linked to the to the AFP, Fagan was the alleged intended recipient of 30 kilograms of cocaine, intercepted overseas before arrival and replaced with a harmless substance. The arrest followed a carefully orchestrated operation: police say Fagan retrieved the substituted cocaine from a 'dead drop' inside a van parked in Alexandria and returned to his Double Bay address, unaware of the after, officers made their move, recovering the substituted cocaine, encrypted mobile phones, and a quantity of anabolic steroids during the estimate the cocaine had a potential street value of $9.7 million, equating to around 150,000 street-level is publicly known about Fagan. The home raided is believed to belong to his elderly parents, and neighbours say the house had long been seen as quiet, occasionally hosting 'low-key family gatherings.' Police say his parents are not suspected of appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday(June 21). Bail was denied, and he will remain in custody until his next hearing on Tuesday, June 24. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted under Australian drug importation AFP confirmed this takedown is part of a broader campaign targeting transnational drug syndicates increasingly turning to 'dead drop' methods to reduce traceability. These hidden exchanges often carried out in public areas like parking lots, make surveillance and infiltration critical to enforcement efforts.'This arrest sends a powerful message,' an AFP spokesperson said. 'No matter the disguise, we will find you.'
