North West Metro Regional Crime Squad detectives have arrested five people allegedly involved in a high level drug trafficking syndicate.
The arrests come after a four-month long investigation – Operation Skyknight – into organised drug trafficking in the north western suburbs of Melbourne and in regional Victoria.
This morning detectives executed six search warrants in Victoria and New South Wales, including at Roxburgh Park, Gladstone Park, Glenroy, Bankstown and Port Macquarie.
Detectives seized four firearms, a stolen vehicle, methylamphetamine, cocaine, cannabis, mobile phones and computers as a result of the search warrants.
As a result, police arrested and charged three people, including:
- A 22-year-old Roxburgh Park man, charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine.
- A 25-year-old Roxburgh Park man, charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine.
- A 68-year-old Gladstone Park man, charged with cultivating and trafficking a commercial quantity of cannabis, and obtain financial advantage by deception.
Police are alleging that the 68-year-old male was using his position as a rental property manager to facilitate several crop houses across the north western suburbs.
All three were remanded in custody. The 22-year-old Roxburgh Park man and 68-year-old Gladstone Park man are due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court this evening. The 25-year-old Roxburgh Park man has been remanded in custody to appear at Port Macquarie Court on 22 July.
Today’s arrests come after detectives charged two individuals on 13 July in relation to the same investigation, following the execution of six search warrants in Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn, Glenroy, Meadow Heights and Reservoir. As a result of these warrants, police seized the following items:
- Three stolen firearms
- A quantity of methylamphetamine
- A quantity of cocaine
- A quantity of ecstasy
- Over 100 plants believed to be cannabis which were allegedly being grown across two residential premises
- $21,000 in cash, suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
The two males arrested on 13 July were a 22-year-old male from Roxburgh Park and a 23-year-old male from Meadow Heights. They were both charged with cultivating a commercial quantity of a narcotic plant and possessing a traffickable quantity of unregistered firearms.
They were both remanded in custody and are due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 7 October.
