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News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
Underworld sources claim Sydney dad Dylan Choup was caught up in Victorian drug syndicate's battle to find stolen stash of meth
The 'contract crew' responsible for six days of carnage across Sydney were enlisted after a methamphetamine haul went missing from a stash house in Melbourne, underworld sources claim. The Victorian drug syndicate, known for importing meth in tea packets from Myanmar, discovered the stash went missing last year, one source told A key figure in Melbourne 'immediately assumed' it was Dylan Choup that robbed him, following his men when they 'reloaded 50 keys (kilograms) of ice,' the source said. 'He also organised two bikie prospects in Melbourne to kidnap and rinse everyone of their gear and money associated with Mr Choup. 'Many associates were kidnapped from their families and then had their faces slashed. No one reported it or spoke to authorities.' Mr Choup's body was found in remote bushland in Lucas Heights, south of Sydney's CBD, on August 31 last year. A post-mortem confirmed Mr Choup, a 32-year-old father who leaves behind a partner and baby son, had been fatally shot and the top of his right ear had been severed. Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said police believed Mr Choup was an employee of a Victorian drug trafficking syndicate and had 'fallen foul' for some reason. 'We don't have the exact details - that is also part of our appeal... is to establish what the exact motive may have been,' he said. 'It may be a case of missing drugs or missing money. If I was a betting man, that's what I would say the situation was.' '(It's) an absolute high level of violence. It's unfortunate that we are seeing this high level of violence.' Mr Choup was last seen about 6.10pm on Thursday 25 July 2024 in Cabramatta, where he told friends he had a meeting and asked them to wait nearby. About 6.25pm, CCTV captured Mr Choup meeting with a man on Railway Parade, who appeared to reprimand and slap him. Both men were then seen walking towards a grey Audi SQ2. 'For Mr Choup just to sit there and be slapped in public would suggest to me that that person that was speaking to him holds a much higher position in that organisation than he did, Det. Supt Doueihi said on Tuesday. 'There was no resistance there, there was no attempt to flee, there was no attempt to strike back. So, it was quite evident from that footage that Mr Choup was in fear of that person.' As inquiries continue, police have released CCTV of the grey Audi SQ2 was seen walking towards – potentially the same vehicle used in a separate kidnapping in Canley Vale a week earlier. Detectives have also released CCTV of a white Lexus and white Audi RS3. The two men captured in the CCTV, seen allegedly moving the vehicles before and after Mr Choup's disappearance are also of interest to police. Strike Force Hallet was established by State Crime Command's Homicide Squad to investigate the contract crew they believe is also responsible for the kidnapping and torture of a man in Canley Vale, and the attempted murder of another man in Queensland – during which he was buried alive. The 23-year-old stumbled into a Queensland petrol station covered in dirt and blood before collapsing with a bullet lodged in his brain through his eye socket. Mr Doueihi said police believed the kidnapping of the first male 'is also linked to a drug trafficking syndicate and something that's gone wrong within that trafficking syndicate'. 'In relation to the attempted murder of the man in Queensland, that unfortunately is not that clear - it remains unclear at the moment, the exact motive, but there is a possibility that that also is linked to (it).' The United Nations this week issued a warning that Australia is being flooded with large quantities of inexpensive methamphetamine originating from Myanmar. Organised crime syndicates are capitalising on Myanmar's status as the world's primary production hub for the drug, combined with record low prices and newly established sea routes, to target the lucrative Australian drug market. A UN Office on Drugs and Crime report revealed methamphetamine seizures jumped by 24 per cent to 236 tonnes in Asia in 2024 with 85 per cent of those seizures occurring in Southeast Asia. 'While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State (in Myanmar),' UNODC acting regional representative Benedikt Hofmann said. Last year Victoria Police, working with the AFP, located and seized 622 green and gold tea packages inside sea cargo which arrived in Melbourne from Malaysia. In 2022 the Australian Federal Police seized more than two tonnes of the illicit narcotic, which had an estimated street value of more than $1 billion and said that over the past decade, criminals have used the distinctive tea package designs to indicate a product's purity and its source. Southeast Asian-manufactured methamphetamine has the highest purity compared to other production regions, including Mexico, the Middle East and Central Asia. Methamphetamine concealed in tea packets weighs about 1kg, which is consistent with regular teas and makes it more difficult to detect.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Haunting final moments of young father before he was shot and killed - as cops reveal disturbing link to 'contract crew' crime spree
Chilling footage captured the final moments of a young father who was shot and killed, with his death believed to be linked to a Victorian drug trafficking syndicate. Rich 'Dylan' Choup, 32, was reported missing in Sydney in July 2024, before his body was found in bushland at Lucas Heights in August. Police have been looking for those responsible and believe he may have been killed by a 'contract crew' responsible for two other violent incidents in the same week. The other two incidents include a man who was buried alive in an attempted murder, and a man who had his ear severed during a kidnapping. Detectives released on Monday CCTV footage linked to each of the incidents, including footage showing Mr Choup in an altercation days before he disappeared. Mr Choup was reported missing on July 29 last year and was last seen involved in a dispute in Cabramatta, south-west Sydney, on July 25. The young father had told friends he had a meeting and asked them to wait close by. CCTV showed Mr Choup meeting with a man on Railway Parade, who ordered him towards a car after slapping him at about 6.25pm. Both men were seen walking towards a grey Audi SQ2 before Mr Choup was reported missing four days later. On August 31, police were called to bushland off Heathcote Road in Lucas Heights after trail bike riders stumbled upon human remains which were later identified to be those of Mr Choup. A post-mortem discovered he had been fatally shot and the top of his right ear had been severed. Police also released footage of a white Lexus and white Audi RS3 from when Mr Choup was last seen. Two men in the CCTV, seen allegedly moving the vehicles before and after Mr Choup's disappearance, are of interest to police. The other two incidents linked to the 'contract crew' occurred days before the altercation between Mr Choup and the unidentified man at Cabramatta. Police said a 31-year-old man was kidnapped and tortured at Canley Vale, in south-west Sydney, before he was released the same day, on July 19. Part of his right ear was severed, however the man did not make a report to police. Officers conducted a search of a property where they believe the man had been held and discovered a box cutter at the premises. Police released CCTV of a dark-coloured Audi SQ2 and a white Volkswagen Golf at the intersection of Freeman Avenue and Sackville Street, around the time of the incident. Just two days later, a 23-year-old man walked into a Queensland petrol station covered in dirt and with a bullet wound to his head. He collapsed at the scene in Tamborine Street, Jimboomba, and was taken to hospital, where it was found he was shot through the eye and had a bullet in his brain. Queensland and NSW police think the man was shot and buried before he crawled out of a shallow grave to find help. CCTV footage showed a white Hyundai Getz at a roadhouse in Nambucca on the NSW Mid North Coast at about 5:30am on the day before the attempted murder. Four men were also seen on CCTV. One was believed to be the victim, which suggested he was picked up in NSW and driven to Queensland before being shot and buried. Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
