Car park deal leads to arrest
By CHRISTOPHER SALTER
06may03
THE largest haul of amphetamine paste in South Australia was uncovered by police yesterday – by chance.
The discovery of $18.2 million worth of amphetamine was made when police patrols from Holden Hill, performing a routine check of the area's "hot spots", stumbled on a drug transaction in a Modbury car park.
Chief Inspector Brett Woollacott said officers saw three men transferring the amphetamines between two cars.
The drugs had been frozen and stored in 15 clear plastic bags, each containing about 1kg of amphetamine.
Inspector Woollacott said two men escaped while a third man, 35, was taken into custody for questioning.
Police later raided the man's house at Salisbury East and charged him with taking part in the production of a drug of dependence.
He was also charged with possessing an unregistered firearm after police found a handgun at the house.
The man will appear in Holden Hill Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Inspector Woollacott said the seized amphetamine paste – which is about 80 per cent pure – would have been mixed with other products to create about 365,000 "street doses" valued at $18.2 million.
The discovery comes as senior police say amphetamine use in SA has risen to alarming levels. SA has the cheapest amphetamines in Australia.
I saw this on the local news last night. The paste in the plastic bags was a dark red. Ox Blood maybe?
By CHRISTOPHER SALTER
06may03
THE largest haul of amphetamine paste in South Australia was uncovered by police yesterday – by chance.
The discovery of $18.2 million worth of amphetamine was made when police patrols from Holden Hill, performing a routine check of the area's "hot spots", stumbled on a drug transaction in a Modbury car park.
Chief Inspector Brett Woollacott said officers saw three men transferring the amphetamines between two cars.
The drugs had been frozen and stored in 15 clear plastic bags, each containing about 1kg of amphetamine.
Inspector Woollacott said two men escaped while a third man, 35, was taken into custody for questioning.
Police later raided the man's house at Salisbury East and charged him with taking part in the production of a drug of dependence.
He was also charged with possessing an unregistered firearm after police found a handgun at the house.
The man will appear in Holden Hill Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Inspector Woollacott said the seized amphetamine paste – which is about 80 per cent pure – would have been mixed with other products to create about 365,000 "street doses" valued at $18.2 million.
The discovery comes as senior police say amphetamine use in SA has risen to alarming levels. SA has the cheapest amphetamines in Australia.
I saw this on the local news last night. The paste in the plastic bags was a dark red. Ox Blood maybe?