VICTORIA: Clandestine labs dismantled
Detectives from the Clandestine Laboratory Squad have extradited the alleged ringleader of an organised crime drug syndicate from the Northern Territory as part of a three-year investigation into the illicit drug trade.
The 55-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday (Nov. 4), before he was extradited back to Melbourne on Thursday afternoon.
He was interviewed and subsequently charged with traffick large commercial quantity MDMA and conspiracy to traffick large commercial quantity methylamphetamine.
The man was to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday (Nov. 7)
Police will allege the man became aware of the investigation into the syndicate, fleeing the jurisdiction in August before he was located in the Northern Territory under a false name.
Investigators will allege the syndicate, directed by a ringleader, was importing precursor chemicals and then manufacturing, trafficking and distributing the large commercial quantities of methylamphetamine, P2P and MDMA throughout the country.
Over the course of three years, investigators charged seven people, seized multi million dollars’ worth of drugs, executed approximately 15 search warrants and dismantled three large scale clandestine laboratories.
The initial shipment, detected by the Australian Border Force in November 2022, was disguised as a chemical imported to make perfume in Melbourne.
Those charged include:
• A 46-year-old Coburg North man. An account located in the man’s name containing $5M was frozen.
• A 54-year-old Pascoe Vale man.
• A 45-year-old man from Queensland .
• A 37-year-old Maribyrnong man .
• A 45-year-old Newport man.
• A 27-year-old Monegeetta man.
Police located an industrial sized clandestine laboratory, seven secured firearms, a gel blaster, an unsecured loaded shotgun, ammunition, nun-chukkas, two Samurai swords, three imitation handguns and further assorted knives and swords, cash and varying quantities of drugs inside the address.
Thirteen previously stolen Holden vehicles were also located worth in excess of $1M, suspected of being part of a car rebirthing ring.
Seizures included over 40 tonnes of precursor chemicals which would have produced close to 20 tonnes of methyl-amphetamine with an estimated street value of over $2.5 billion dollars’ worth of methyl-amphetamine.