POLICE who intercepted a tow truck being driven by a 28-year-old Balnarring man near Wodonga, 20 July, allegedly found more than 15kg of methyl-amphetamine, with a street value of up to $10 million, on board.
The man, and a 36-year-old Frankston man, have been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a drug of dependence.
The Balnarring man has been remanded to appear at Wodonga Magistrates’ Court on 15 December and the Frankston man remanded to appear at the same court on 1 July 2022.
The men are among 20 arrested and seven charged with drug trafficking in a major police drug sting in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs which included detectives from Mornington’s divisional response unit.
As part of the same operation a 32-year-old man, and a 32-year-old woman, both of Frankston, were arrested on 18 November and charged with trafficking methyl-amphetamine, cocaine and 1,4 butanol and committing an indictable offence while on bail. Both were bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 26 April 2022.
Charges laid against the 12 others arrested as part of the operation include drug possession, possessing the proceeds of crime, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing an imitation firearm, and breaching parole.
Over the course of the operation, police also allege they seized traffickable quantities of cocaine and 1,4 butanediol, large quantities of prescription medicines, small quantities of ecstasy and cannabis, around 7900 steroid tablets and 35 steroid vials, homemade machine gun, two imitation firearms, two prohibited weapons, including knuckle dusters, ammunition including loaded magazines, $650,000 cash, silver Ford Ranger ute, blue Ford Ranger ute, tow truck and keys to a stolen Holden Special Vehicle, as well as several electronic devices, including a frequency jammer.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 30 November 2021
