Bomaderry man allegedly imported 6000 prescription drugs

Acting on information from the public and Australia Post, police officers arrested the 47-year-old outside the Nowra Post Office around 10.20am on Wednesday (July 4) securing one of the largest seizures of illegal prescription pills in the Shoalhaven in recent history.

Police arrested the man after he allegedly collected two packages containing the drugs.

The man was taken to Nowra Police Station and charged with two counts of intentionally import prohibited tier 2 goods.

A search warrant was also executed at a home in Bomaderry where computers and documents were seized along with a number of tablets.

Although still awaiting official identification through forensic analysis, the drugs are believed to include valium, diazepam and clonazepam.

While it is often reported on the supply of prohibited drugs such as methamphetamine, or ice as it is widely known, and cannabis within the Shoalhaven, officer in charge of Nowra Police Station, Inspector Ray Stynes said prescription drugs are also dealt.

“Prescription drugs can also have detrimental effects on people if used adversely,” Insp Stynes said.

“Prescription drugs do get dealt, no doubt, but we have processes in place to try and reduce it. Certainly prescription drugs can be abused and we are trying to prevent or reduce that.”

He said Wednesday’s arrest was one of the biggest prescription drug seizures he’s seen in the Shoalhaven in recent times.

Insp Stynes would not go into how the drugs were ordered, saying investigations were continuing.

The Bomaderry man was granted strict bail, including not to go near any Australia Post outlets, or delivery or courier businesses and not use the internet.

He will appear in Nowra Local Court on July 23.

It is the second such seizure in the Shoalhaven in recent weeks.

A Manyana man was also arrested in June with two counts of supplying prohibited drugs (not cannabis) believed to be illicit substances.

He is also before the courts.

Insp Stynes said the arrest highlights the importance of the community passing on information to police.

“This latest arrest all stemmed from information from the community in conjunction with information from Australia Post,” he said.

“That information led us to the post office. Without that sort of information officers would not have been able to undertake the task and arrest they have.

“It highlights the importance of information being provided to police by the community.

“It’s a community effort in relation of policing, we can’t do it on our own.

“We need the information from the community to point us in the right direction and we will act on that information,.

“This was a classic example of that.”