Three Sydney contractors have been charged over the alleged theft and unlawful sale of over 300 tonnes of copper wiring potentially worth up to $3.5 m

Three contractors charged with stealing more than $3.5 million of copper from Sydney infrastructure sites

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2024-05-14 09:30:04

Three Sydney contractors have been charged over the alleged theft and unlawful sale of over 300 tonnes of copper wiring potentially worth up to $3.5 million.

The arrests come after an investigation sparked by industry reports of contractors removing copper wiring and selling it to scrap metal collectors for a profit while purporting to run a legitimate business.

In March this year police attached to the financial crimes squad motor unit searched a scrap yard in Ingleburn and seized approximately $200,000 worth of stolen copper wiring.

Later that day, authorities executed a search warrant on a property in Campbelltown, where they found an additional $105,000 worth of cabling and subsequently arrested and charged two men with larceny.

After further investigation police alleged the two men, aged 43 and 48, had stolen approximately 282 tonnes of copper wiring, which now holds a potential resale value of about $2.1 million.

Last Thursday a man in his 30s was arrested at Fairfield Police Station and charged with three counts of larceny and knowingly dealing with crime, with police alleging he stole 68 tonnes of copper with a value of $1.4 million.