An alleged robbery at a Terrey Hills industrial unit is reported to be under examination for possible links to an international organised crime group and contraband concealed in a legitimate shipment.
Masked Men Threaten Staff At Tepko Road
NSW Police were called to the commercial premises shortly after 6:30am on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, after workers reported a robbery.
Staff told officers that two men wearing black balaclavas had entered at about 6am. The pair allegedly made demands and threatened workers before taking several items and leaving a short time later.
No injuries were reported. Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene, and detectives were seen conducting inquiries later that morning.
Police have not disclosed what was taken or identified any vehicles being sought in connection with the incident.
Possible Terrey Hills Robbery Link To Contraband
The incident was later reported to have involved a firearm. The investigation is also reported to be considering whether an international criminal group was involved and whether contraband had been placed inside a legitimate shipment without the importer’s knowledge.
That possible method is known as piggybacking. It involves prohibited goods being inserted into a commercial shipping container at its point of origin or destination, then removed by people with access to the freight network.
The reported theory in the Terrey Hills robbery is that trusted insiders were expected to retrieve concealed goods at Port Botany before the legitimate cargo continued to the business on Tepko Road.
Arrests involving port workers, along with the May arrest of a 29-year-old Sydney man alleged to have coordinated activity for criminal groups, may have disrupted that plan.
Under the unconfirmed scenario, the container instead reached the Terrey Hills business intact and the group allegedly arranged the robbery to recover the concealed items.
The nature of any suspected contraband has not been disclosed. The possible connection between the Tepko Road incident, the shipment and the earlier arrests forms part of the reported theory and has not been established as fact.
Taskforce Targets Trusted Insiders
NSW Police is part of the Multi Agency Strike Team, which targets international crime groups that use insiders with access to shipping containers, freight systems and restricted premises.
The taskforce also includes the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, NSW Crime Commission, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and the Australian Taxation Office.
Its work has disrupted several alleged importation plots involving trusted insiders at Port Botany. Criminal groups are alleged to have paid insiders as much as $200,000 in cash, depending on the access or assistance provided.
Contraband can be removed while a container remains at the port. When goods are concealed within the container’s structure, they may instead be retrieved after the legitimate cargo has been delivered and the empty container has returned to a freight facility.
The taskforce examines how prohibited goods bypass border controls, identifies weaknesses used by criminal networks and seeks to prevent the same access from being exploited again.
Police asked anyone with information about the Tepko Road robbery to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Published 8-July-2026
