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A perfectly-timed photo manages to capture the confusion on a drug trafficker's face when he realized his $10 million stash of methamphetamine was missing.
The Australian Federal Police arrested Christian Tachev after he was caught red-handed wrapped up in an elaborate drug-smuggling operation.
Tachev, who claimed he was a personal trainer, had been moving drugs and cash for a biker gang, but had no idea the gang was being monitored by the police.
A court heard after his arrest that Tachev had been sent GPS coordinates from his boss telling him where to pick up and drop off the meth.
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The instructions included that the drugs be buried in bushland around suburban Perth, with AFP officers having located drugs buried by Tachev on two separate occasions in 2021.
The discoveries led Australian Federal Police to obtain a ‘surveillance device warrant’, which allowed them to set up the camera.
The images captured by police showed the moment the then-26-year-old realized his stash was gone during their sting operation in the bush, with the image showing Tachev with his hands on his hips, looking at the location where the stash had been buried.
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According to a judge, the horde at the location where the photo was taken was worth up to an estimated AU $12,373,342 (US $9.4m).
Tachev was ultimately arrested near his business in the northern suburbs, where police found more than $8000 cash, a hand shovel and dirty gardening gloves inside his car.
After being caught, Tachev led police to an area where he had buried another 15kg of methamphetamine.
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Commenting on the bust, AFP Senior Constable Josh Gilmour said 15kg of meth could potentially have been sold to 150,000 people in drug deals taking place on the street.
"People who move cash and drugs for criminal syndicates play a vital role in helping other members to profit from this damaging trade," he said.
"The AFP and our partners are working tirelessly to stop drugs from reaching our community and arresting those involved in the distribution."
Tachev was ultimately jailed for 11 years as a result of his crimes.
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At his sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Joseph McGrath said: “The offences that you have committed are most serious.”
He continued: “There was a high level of sophistication to your conduct given the manner in which the drugs were buried and concealed in bushland areas around Perth, and the fact that these locations were only able to be located through GPS coordinates.
“Whilst your role may be described as a 'courier', I am satisfied that the role you undertook was pivotal to the trafficking of methamphetamine in the community,”
Emily Brown