Nigerian man nabs for allegedly running $9m drug ring from immigration detention camp

A 49-year-old Nigerian man, Dirichukwu Patrick Nweke, has been arrested in connection with an alleged $9 million drug operation running out of Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney, Australia.

Nweke, who was awaiting deportation at the centre, and another man were accused of dealing large amounts of methylamphetamine using an encrypted messaging service.

NWS Police in a statement on Saturday, July 27, 2024, said they stormed Villawood Detention Centre, where they allegedly found two kilograms of meth worth $165,000 hidden inside porridge boxes. They also found three mobile phones during a search of a unit at the centre on July 11.

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Nweke has been charged with multiple offences including directing a criminal group and supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, DailyMail reports.

Two kilograms of methylamphetamine and $169,000 in cash linked to the syndicate were previously seized by officers, police said on Saturday.