$312M DRUG GANG BUSTED IN DAWN RAIDS, SAY POLICE

Police claim they have smashed a drug syndicate behind the manufacture
of a record $312 million worth of amphetamines after arresting 10
people in dawn raids in NSW and Queensland yesterday.

The NSW Police Commissioner, Mr Peter Ryan, said the raids netted
ammunition and firearms, including three sawn-off shotguns, pistols
and two military rifles, plus police radio scanners and disguises,
including a pill-stamping press used to manufacture drugs.

As those arrested faced courts in Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane, Mr
Ryan said heroin and 25,000 ecstasy pills had also been seized.

It was the forth major raid by Internal Affairs Police and Special
Crime Squad detectives in an 18-month investigation codenamed Gymea.

The investigation, which originally targeted police and criminal
connections, has led to 110 arrests, including four former and serving
police officers.

Those arrested in yesterday's raids included a fitness instructor with
the South Sydney Rugby League Club, Richard John "Harry" Harris.

The others were two Sydney women, aged 30 and 39, a horse breeder from
Williamtown, a 58-year-old Brisbane businessman, four Sydney men and a
42-year-old director of a fitness company from Umina on the Central
Coast.

The Umina businessman, Glenn Roderick Flack, who was named in a
statement of facts presented to Central Local Court as a principalin
the syndicate with Richard Harris, 38, of Punchbowl,also made a
separate appearance before a Central Local Court magistrate, Mr Alan
Moore.

Flack, who police alleged was a convicted armed robber with an
"extensive criminal history", including firearm, property, assault and
malicious wounding offences, was charged by Operation Gymea detectives
on August 25 last year with possession of 2.5 kilograms of cannabis.

Police alleged Flack had been directly implicated as "having
constructive control and knowledge" of a Five Dock garage used as a
safe house where hydriodic acid, which is used in the manufacture of
methylamphetamine, was stored with 12 prohibited firearms, ammunition,
scanners and cannabis.

"On June 9, 1998, police discovered 2.5 kilograms of methylamphetamine
in the Drummoyne garage which was manufactured through associates of
Flack and Harris."

Police said legal listening devices and telephone intercepts "recorded
conversations between Flack, Harris and others which confirmed Flack's
criminal involvement".

Flack, a father of two children, who was charged with three counts of
supplying a prohibited drug and one count of manufacturing a
prohibited drug and 13 firearm offences, denied through his legal
counsel any involvement with the drugs or weapons.

He was remanded to reappear today for a bail hearing.

Harris did not enter any plea. He was charged with a variety of drug
matters, including conspiring to supply 2.5 kilograms of
methylamphetamine, 260 kilograms of psuedophedrine hydrochloride and
35 kilograms of cannabis and conspiring to make a prohibited drug.

Harris was also charged with possession of illegal
firearms.

In a statement of facts presented to the court, police alleged that
Flack, Harris and Williamtown horse breeder Ronald Wayne Jordan, 52,
"and others conspired to make and supply methylamphetamine and supply
260 kilograms of psuedophedrine hydrochloride (HCL).

"This amount of psuedophedrine hydrochloride HCL is capable of being
manufactured into in excess of one tonne of street level
methylamphetamine valued at over $100 million," police alleged.

Harris did not enter a plea and was remanded to reappear on October
18.

Jordan appeared before Newcastle Local Court yesterday charged with
conspiring with Flack and Harris to manufacture and supply $100
million worth of methylamphetamine. He was refused bail and will
reappear on September 28.