Drugs busted

By Casey Neill
TECOMA and other hills towns were last week at the centre of a Melbourne-wide drug bust.
Fawkner Divisional Response Unit (DRU) police last Tuesday morning (13 October) seized drugs, cash, cars and machinery and arrested eight people to crack a major cannabis syndicate.
Sergeant Maurie Ryan said about 30 officers simultaneously executed 15 warrants. “This was part of a complex and thorough investigation that’s been running over the last six months,” he said. “As a result of the execution of those warrants we’ve uncovered at least four hydroponic crops.”
Sgt Ryan said the drug operation was sophisticated. “It’s certainly a very well planned and executed syndicate that are involved in this and it’s been well-run and well-organised,” he said.
More than 15 officers raided three Tecoma homes in Kitchener and Kalula roads. They seized about $65,000 cash, a hydroponic set-up, cannabis plants, harvested plants, documents and a computer from the homes and dismantled cables hooked up to steal electricity.
Police charged a 44-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman from the suburb with conspiring to traffic and cultivate large commercial quantities of cannabis and trafficking and cultivating commercial quantities of cannabis. The man will also face theft charges.
Both were last Wednesday remanded to face a committal mention hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 11 March.
The woman will face a bail application hearing this Friday 23 October.
In Upwey police seized a tree-mulching machine in Morris Road and a computer and documents from a Melaleuca Drive address.
They charged a 34-year-old Upwey man with trafficking cannabis, cultivating cannabis, theft and possessing the proceeds of crime. He was bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
Police took a steam roller, excavator and bobcat from Coonara Road in Kallista and a car, two motorcycles, tools and documents from Hilton Street, Ferny Creek.
In Glenfern Road, Ferntree Gully officers recovered a hydro-ponic set-up with cannabis plants, almost $1000 cash, phones and documents and arrested a 37-year-old woman and 49-year-old man.
The raid surprised Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn.
She said the area was not known as a drug hot-spot. “I wouldn’t have expected it at all,” she said.
Cr Dunn is the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ alcohol and drug working group chair. “We’re working really hard on getting the message to young people that drugs and alcohol are not good choices,” she said.
Police also raided premises in Frankston, Skye, Greensborough, Eltham, Broadmeadows, Narre Warren and Berwick.
In total they seized about 1000 cannabis plants and 60 pounds of dried cannabis, $75,000 cash, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, two Mercedes-Benz cars, two 5.5 tonne excavators, a bobcat, other machinery and about $100,000 in other assets.
Fawkner DRU Senior Sergeant George Vale said the bust was “the culmination of a lot of hard work and effort” and those involved should be proud of the result.
“We believe that this operation has shut down a major cannabis syndicate that was operating in a number of suburbs,” he said.