The 36-year-old from Theresa Park, in Sydney's south-west, was detained after he tried to board the Carnival Spirit cruise ship at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at 2pm on Wednesday.

The man was detected by Customs officers who stopped the man and held him until detectives attached to the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad arrived.

The man is allegedly involved in a syndicate that has been supplying methylamphetamine and has been charged with directing a criminal organisation and dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

He was refused bail and will appear in Sydney's Central Local Court on Thursday.

Investigations into the syndicate began earlier this year with detectives in August seizing 1.9 kilograms of methylamphetamine from a car at Robertson in the Southern Highlands.

A fortnight later, a man and a woman were arrested while sitting in a parked car at the lookout at Bulli Tops, just north of Wollongong. Police allege they found in the car a .32 Remington Colt model 25 semi-automatic pistol and a magazine with 10 rounds of ammunition.

The man, 27, from Camden, and the woman, 31, from Robertson, were taken to Wollongong police station and charged.

Both remain before the courts.