BREAKING: Local Couple Locked in Covert Smuggling War — Guitar Pedals and Craft Vinyl at Centre of Domestic Deception

Riley Corbett | Crimes Reporter | Sutherland Shire Gazette

14 November 2025

GYMEA - A quiet suburban home has become the unlikely epicentre of what experts are calling “Australia’s most discreet financial conflict,” after a husband and wife were each found smuggling hobby-related contraband past one another - without either realising the other was doing the same.

Dave, 46, a mild-mannered project manager by day and blues-rock enthusiast by night, is believed to have masterminded a covert guitar pedal import network to conceal his gear spending. 

Neighbours report a sophisticated delivery system involving decoy packages, alias names, and strategic diversions. “Last week he smuggled a vintage amp in under the guise of a Vinnies donation,” said one neighbour.

Unbeknownst to Dave, his wife Karen, 44, has allegedly been running a parallel operation - secretly importing Cricut crafting vinyl, adhesives, and glitter by the kilo. Sources say her cover stories include “school projects,” “committee supplies,” and “a fundraiser that definitely exists.”

“She once slipped six rolls of holographic foil into the house inside a Woolies bag of bananas,” confirmed a family friend. “It was a professional hit.”

The couple’s teenage children have reportedly joined the operation, offering silence in exchange for Macca’s runs and extended Wi-Fi hours. “They’re so busy covering their own tracks, they’ve stopped checking ours,” said 14-year-old Emily.

The standoff reached breaking point when two Amazon packages arrived simultaneously — one containing boutique guitar strings, the other a 12-pack of shimmer-rose-gold transfer film. Neither adult took responsibility.

At press time, Dave was researching “how to hide pedals inside hollowed-out encyclopaedias,” while Karen was seen moving Woolies bags labelled “fruit” into the craft room.

Experts warn this could be just the beginning of a wider suburban epidemic - one fuelled by Afterpay, passion projects, and denial.

Guitar Crafting Smuggling