Bail for Chinese national charged after alleged $5 million steroid seizure

A man accused of being involved in the ACT’s second massive steroid bust in less than a year has been released on bail, despite police concerns.

Wei Wang, a 33-year-old Chinese national who lives in Flynn, was arrested after an alleged $5 million worth of steroids and prescription drugs were seized last month.

He spent two weeks behind bars before bail was granted in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday (8 August).

In December 2023, police allegedly busted a group running what officers say was the largest illegal controlled and prescription drug distribution network ever identified in the ACT and Victoria, called ‘’OzPharmLabs’’.

As part of that investigation, police allege a second criminal group, which they described as “an affiliated syndicate”, was found to be operating in the ACT under the name of ‘’Nexnos’’.

Police allege this syndicate sourced drugs from an overseas supplier and used the postal network to supply controlled drugs, including steroids, to buyers across Australia.

It is alleged messages between Nexnos and OzPharmLabs showed the two operations were buying substances from each other, and that over three months they had exchanged $970,000.

On 25 July, police raided an O’Connor home believed to be the “warehouse” for Nexnos, and allegedly seized 59,000 vials and 156,000 tablets of steroids and prescription drugs that have an estimated value of $5 million.

Mr Wang was arrested during the raids and handed 54 charges, mostly steroid or drug-related, then was refused bail when he faced the ACT Magistrates Court the next day, but he applied for it again on Thursday.

The court heard he was in the country under a bridging visa and was seeking to become an Australian citizen. It also heard he was incarcerated with a mix of sentenced and unsentenced prisoners.

A police officer told the court police had restrained his assets that they knew about, except for a Lexus worth $170,000 as they hadn’t been able to find it.

Mr Wang’s barrister, Jon White SC, said his client had ties to the ACT, his assets had been restrained and a friend could offer a $100,000 surety.

He also said if bail was refused then his client would be forced to sit on remand while a “painstaking” investigation took place.

Prosecutor Morgan Howe, who opposed bail, alleged there was an illicit trade that appeared to have been turning over millions of dollars a year.

He said those arrested over OzPharmLabs had attracted significant media attention, so alleged Mr Wang had shown a “boldness” to effectively continue the enterprise after their arrests.

Mr Howe also alleged Mr Wang had been caught dropping off packages at post offices which police later seized and found to contain steroids.

Special Magistrate Rebecca Christensen SC said recent information from the police was that there were still packages to be recovered, a fact that gave her “some pause”.

She said there was a prospect of items being received that could become available to him if he was granted bail in circumstances where police didn’t know where all PO box keys of relevance were.

But the special magistrate also said several electronic items seized during the raids were in police custody and the investigation had essentially uncovered the apparent mechanism by which he is alleged to have engaged in the offending.

She said she was not persuaded that the level of engagement in a criminal syndicate that the prosecution asserted had necessarily been established.

Bail was granted on numerous conditions, including Mr Wang report to a police station every day, provide the $100,000 surety, surrender his passport, not approach Australia Post parcel lockers, not contact a list of people and not access electrical devices except for one mobile phone.

The matter was adjourned to 10 October.

Mr Wang has indicated not guilty pleas to 22 counts of supplying an anabolic steroid, 28 counts of supplying a declared substance, as well as single counts of attempting to supply anabolic steroids, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing the proceeds of crime and failing to comply with a 3LA order (a 3LA order gives law enforcement officers the power to compel a person to reveal their private encryption keys and personal identification numbers or passwords).

Three men charged over OzPhamLabs remain before the courts.