Sydney real estate agents arrested over ‘scandalous’ $2 million drug, fraud scheme

Three Sydney real estate agents are among six people who allegedly used the names of members of the public to rent houses to grow $2 million worth of cannabis and receive COVID-19 rent relief payments.

NSW Police charged six people on Wednesday after dismantling a number of sophisticated hydroponic cannabis set-ups in homes in Sydney’s south-west across July and August last year.

During the busts in Fairfield, police seized cannabis worth an estimated $2 million on the street.

Police allege the syndicate also made several “large-scale” fraudulent applications to the state government’s COVID-19 Residential Tenancy Support Package scheme.

Fairfield City police area command crime manager Luke Scott said the three real estate agents allegedly involved in the syndicate abused their employment in the industry for financial gain.

“We will be alleging these people used their position as trusted insiders in the real estate industry to defraud their own clientele and public money meant for those who need it most,” Mr Scott said.

“The properties that were allegedly utilised by this syndicate to grow cannabis were subleased to members of the public who had no idea their name was on the lease agreement, as was the case when it came to the fraudulently obtained rental relief and bond payments.

“The nature of this fraud is particularly scandalous and predatory; the community won’t tolerate it, and those involved now have our court system to answer to.”