Two Victorian Men Charged in Major Drug Trafficking Bust
Source: Manila Metro
MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia - Two men from the Australian state of Victoria have been charged with trafficking a significant quantity of illicit drugs.
The duo appeared in the Magistrates' Court in the Victorian capital of Melbourne on Friday. The arrests took place in Port Melbourne on Thursday, June 6, when one man was found with 12 kilograms of methamphetamine and the other with one kilogram of cocaine.
Police allege that a 36-year-old man from Docklands and a 34-year-old man from Keysborough were part of a transnational organized crime syndicate planning to distribute these drugs across Victoria. The Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (VIC JOCTF), which includes the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police, and Australian Border Force (ABF), identified the men during a broader investigation into drug trafficking in Melbourne.
The men were apprehended when they arrived separately in vehicles at a Port Melbourne location. Search warrants executed on their vehicles revealed significant drug hauls. An ABF canine detected narcotics in the Docklands man's vehicle, leading to the discovery of two electronic devices, a scale, and 12 clip seal bags each containing about one kilogram of crystalline methamphetamine. In the Keysborough man's vehicle, police found a one-kilogram brick of cocaine, three electronic devices, and $30,000 in cash.
Further search warrants executed at homes in Docklands and Keysborough, as well as businesses in South Melbourne and Port Melbourne, resulted in the seizure of an unregistered Glock 26 firearm, four boxes of ammunition, four computers, seven mobile devices, and approximately $4,000 in cash at the Docklands home. Eighteen electronic devices were also seized from the Port Melbourne business premises.
Both men face charges of trafficking a large commercial quantity of a drug of dependence, along with a string of other charges. While the Docklands man has been remanded in custody, the Keysborough man has been granted bail. Both are scheduled to reappear in court on September 26, 2024. The maximum penalty for the trafficking offense is life imprisonment.
"The AFP cannot overstate the harm that 12kg of methamphetamine and 1kg of cocaine could have caused if not intercepted by law enforcement," AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Chris Salmon said Friday. "The estimated street value of the methamphetamine alone is $10.8 million, enough for 120,000 individual street deals," he said. He also highlighted the psychological, financial, and social harm methamphetamine causes, noting that around 12,200 Australians are hospitalized from the drug annually.
Victoria Police Detective Acting Superintendent Dan Ryan underscored the broader criminal implications of drug trafficking, including its links to other crimes and its potential to cause fatal overdoses, family violence, and aggravated burglaries. He also noted the significance of seizing a firearm during the operation.
ABF Acting Superintendent Ben Michalke reaffirmed the commitment to preventing dangerous drugs from entering Australia. "The Australian border is a critical national asset and our first line of defense against criminals who seek to profit at the expense of our community's safety. Stopping this insidious and extremely destructive substance from impacting the community is a great outcome," he said Friday.