A man has been charged after a vehicle stop revealed an alleged clandestine ‘box lab’ at Port Macquarie last night.
About 11pm last night (Monday 26 June 2023), police from Mid North Coast Proactive Crime Team were patrolling Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie, when they stopped a truck and trailer reported as stolen.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police allegedly located items consistent with a clandestine laboratory including glass beakers and chemicals.
Further checks on the vehicle confirmed it had allegedly been stolen from a Newcastle address in February 2023, with the trailer allegedly stolen from Taree earlier this month (Saturday 17 June 2023).
HAZMAT crews from Fire and Rescue NSW attended and rendered the scene safe before the vehicle was towed to undergo further analysis by forensic specialists.
A 40-year-old man was arrested at the scene before being taken to Port Macquarie Police Station where he was charged with two counts of goods in personal custody suspected being stolen, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, use registrable vehicle not display authorised number plates, and drive conveyance taken without consent of owner.
He was granted conditional bail to appear before Port Macquarie Local Court on Wednesday 9 August 2023.
Inquiries continue.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
