The Australian/NZ Drug Busts Mega-Thread Part I

[lil angel15]

Man charged over drug discovery
October 21, 2007 05:41pm

A WOULD-BE drug maker who drew attention to himself by speeding and having only one working headlight was arrested by Tweed Heads police and a large quantity of chemicals were seized.

Tweed Heads police said they were on patrol in Wharf Street when they noticed a speeding Toyota Camry station wagon with a broken headlight at 11.30pm on Saturday.

They stopped the car and talked to the 33-year-old driver and then decided to search his vehicle.

Police found a large quantity of liquids and chemicals in the rear of the station wagon, plus a set of throwing knives, a quantity of cash and knuckle dusters.

Hazmat officers were called in to assist with the safe removal of the chemicals from the vehicle.

Police will alleging the chemicals seized are used in the manufacture of illegal drugs.

The man has been charged with possession of illegal weapons and further charges are expected to be laid once the chemicals have been tested.

News.com.au

 

[Splatt]

somm1 i know saw them pulled over wondered what was going on.
his mate was drunk at the time and the guy was down that way to visit him and were getting cheap pizzas


apparently they BS'd the street name so qld cops could interact with TH-BB task force

 

[JoeBloggs]

geez.................... i guess some people are just stupid

 

[Splatt]

Arrest drug trafficking - Rosslea (Townsville)

Police have charged a woman in relation to the discovery yesterday of amphetamines and cannabis in a room at the Billabong Lodge Motel at Bowen Road, Rosslea.

A 30-year-old woman will appear in Townsville Magistrates Court tomorrow to face seven drug related charges including trafficking, possession of a dangerous drug, possession of an item for use and possession of proceeds.

The Queensland Department of Police Media and News Releases!

 

[hoptis]

Drug-lab explosion wakes neighbours
October 22, 2007 07:48am

POLICE have arrested eight people after an explosion at an illicit drug laboratory in a house in Melbourne's north-west this morning.

Nearby residents contacted police after hearing the explosion and seeing smoke at the house in Merbein St, Pascoe Vale at about 3.30am (AEST).

Sen-Constable Cassy Stone said 10 people had been at the house and eight of them were arrested.

News.com.au

 

[lil angel15]

10 years' prison for heroin-smuggler
October 22, 2007 03:49pm

A SYDNEY man caught smuggling an estimated $5 million worth of heroin into Australia has been jailed for 10 years.

Minh Hiep Vu, 23, was arrested at Brisbane International Airport on November 15 last year after arriving from Hong Kong.

Customs officials found almost 2kg of heroin concealed in boxes of ginseng tea in his luggage.

Vu pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court today to one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug.

The court was told the drug was 72 per cent pure and had a wholesale value of about $450,000.

The haul was estimated to have a street value of between $2.9 million and $5.4 million.

Justice Richard Chesterman jailed Vu for 10 years with a non-parole period of six years.

News.com.au

 

[lil angel15]

Couple grows huge indoor drug crop
24.10.2007

A CROP of 600 marijuana plants in two sheds in the Whitsundays was one of the largest hydroponic drug seizures in Queensland.

More than $48,000 in cash was also found during the raid on the Cannonvale property last September 23.

Emily Passmore, 57, and her husband Alan Passmore, 59, both pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Mackay yesterday to trafficking in marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana.

A police officer on the raid described the crop as one of the largest of a commercial scale he had seen in six years of anti-drug raids.

There were 600 marijuana plants with an average height of 1metres, Crown prosecutor Michael Cowan said. There also were seedlings and cuttings.

The plants were in two large sheds and a five-metre caravan on the property was being used as a drying room. About 25kg of marijuana was drying in the caravan.

The hydroponic system was an elaborate set-up involving lighting, air-conditioning and timers. There were four growing rooms.

There was a great deal of chemicals and fertilisers in the sheds.

About 2kg of dried marijuana in a refrigerator comprised flower heads of the plants which were regarded as highly sought-after by users as being the best part of the drug.

The electricity had been connected illegally, by-passing the meter, and Ergon Energy estimated they had lost $39,000 worth of power.

Inside the house on the property police found $48,935 in Australian dollars, most from a table in the living room.

Mrs Passmore also had $1000 in cash stashed down her pants.

A .22 rifle was found under a dresser at the bottom of a bed but it was unloaded and there were 10 rounds of ammunition in the case.

The court heard that Mr Passmore had grown a crop 18 months earlier for $2000 and sold it for $3500 to a man at a pub.

That man then introduced Mr Passmore to a man named Brian who became his drug-growing business partner and who made all arrangements for selling the drugs to other people.

Alan Passmore was jailed for four years, to be suspended after one year, and Emily Passmore was jailed for two and a half years, to be suspended after six months.

Daily Mercury

 

[lil angel15]

Drugs raid: man charged in Sydney's west
October 24, 2007 - 6:17AM

A 25-year-old Sydney man will face court for drugs possession after a raid on his home in Minto uncovered an amount of heroin and ecstasy.

Police executed a search warrant on the man's house in Sydney's west at about 1pm (AEST) yesterday, uncovering an undisclosed amount of ecstasy and heroin.

Money, jewellery and electrical goods were also seized.

The man has been arrested and charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited drug, having goods in custody, and dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.

He has been refused bail and will appear in Campbelltown Local Court today.

SMH

 

[Splatt]

Pills found in pants - passenger to face charges
Tuesday, 23rd October 2007

Customs has seized 2,500 tablets from a passenger at Melbourne International Airport after he allegedly tried to smuggle banned steroid tablets concealed in his underpants.

The 31 year old Australian man, from Glenroy, was stopped by Customs officers after arriving on a flight from Thailand yesterday (Monday 22 October).

During a frisk search of the passenger, a Customs officer noted an inconsistency around the man's groin area.

Customs will allege that the passenger then produced two socks from within his pants which contained a total of approximately 2,500 steroid tablets.

The importation of these performance and image enhancing drugs into Australia without appropriate permits is prohibited.

Customs investigators interviewed the passenger and will issue him with a summons to face court on a charge of importing a prohibited import under the Customs Act 1901.

The maximum penalty for these offences is a fine of $110,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment.

National Investigations Manager Richard Janeczko said the alleged detection was part of an ongoing national crackdown by Customs on the smuggling of performance and image enhancing drugs into Australia.

Customs Media Release

 

[lil angel15]

Cannabis crop 'worth almost $500,000'
8:41a.m. 25 October 2007
By Amy Remeikis

One of the largest hydroponic drug crops ever found on the Sunshine Coast was allegedly discovered in a storage shed on a property in Peachester yesterday morning.

Neighbours were as shocked as a man who was inside the shed when police entered the Stirling Road premises.

They told media they had “heard a lot of banging” inside the shed, but had no idea what was going on.

A 43-year-old man was charged last night with various drug offences in the wake of the raid.

Even police were surprised at the size of the operation, which, they said, was “extremely sophisticated”.

From the outside, the shed looked like any other you would expect to find on a rural property.

Inside, however, it was sectioned into several rooms, all filled with cannabis plants at varying stages of growth.

The 519 plants ranged from about 15cm (6in) to 1.2m (4ft) high.

It is believed the estimated the street value of the crop is close to $500,000.

That is not taking into account the cost of the operation which included grow lighting, sophisticated irrigation systems, water tanks and air conditioners.

Superintendent Ben Hanbidge said the seizure of the crop was bound to affect the cannabis supply.

“It would appear to have been a very professional set up and was being grown for commercial purposes,” he said.

“It is one of the largest hydroponic set ups seized on the Sunshine Coast and will certainly have an impact on the supply and distribution of cannabis throughout the Coast.”

Caloundra Inspector Keith Shultz was also surprised by the operation set up.

“It is one of the biggest and most sophisticated hydroponic systems we have seen,” he said.

“A lot of effort has gone into this system.”

The plants will be destroyed and the lab dismantled once crime scene investigators have finished examining the site.

The bust comes during crime prevention week, which began on October 20 and is being run with an emphasis on “dobbing in a druggie”.

Police are asking anyone with information about suspected drug activity to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The Peachester man will face Caloundra Magistrate Court on six drug charges.

Sunshine Coast Daily

 

[lil angel15]

Drugs found in raid
25th October 2007 02:06:00 AM

A RAID at a Cranbourne house has uncovered more than 300 ecstasy tablets, cash and drug paraphernalia.

In a joint operation by Cranbourne CIU and the Casey Response Unit, detectives executed a search warrant on the South Gippsland Highway property on Friday.

They found the large haul of drugs, drug equipment and cash as well as stolen computers at the house.

A 23-year-old Cranbourne man was charged with trafficking drugs of dependence and burglaries.

He was bailed to appear before the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 5 March next year.

Cranbourne News

 

[lil angel15]

Cannabis worth $1.5m seized in raid
October 25, 2007 05:59am

CANNABIS worth $1.5 million has been seized by police in a raid on a drug setup in Sydney's west.

At about 7.20am (AEST) yesterday, 489 plants were seized in the raid at Kihilla Road, Auburn, after police received a tip off about a possible hydroponic setup on the premises.

They labelled the operation "elaborate", saying the drugs seized would have a potential street value of about $1.5 million.

No one was in the house at the time of the raid, and investigations continue, police said.

Anybody with information about the operation has been asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

News.com.au

 

[lil angel15]

Traveller to face heroin import charge
October 25, 2007 - 4:55PM

A Norwegian man has been charged with trying to import two kilograms of heroin into Australia after being arrested at Melbourne International Airport.

Customs and Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers stopped Geir Roenningen, who flew in on Wednesday night from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, and searched his baggage.

Police allege they found a false bottom in his suitcase, that concealed powder which preliminary tests revealed to be heroin.

Roenningen, 38, was remanded in custody and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

He could face an $825,000 fine and life in prison if convicted.

Roenningen did not apply for bail at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded to appear in court again for a committal mention on January 16 next year.

SMH

 

[Splatt]

Pics of above seizure. Bigger pics here

 

[lil angel15]

Police seize $1m in cash in Sydney raids
October 26, 2007 12:04pm

POLICE have seized more than $1 million in cash after a series of raids in Sydney's south-west.

Backed by the riot squad, detectives from Strike Force Rockvale, set up to investigate the supply of firearms and drugs, raided three homes in Mt Pritchard and one in St Johns Park last night.

As well as the cash, detectives seized ammunition, more than 500g of the drug ice and 2.5kg of cannabis leaf, police said.

The drugs have a combined street value estimated by police at $71,000.

Detectives arrested a 50-year-old Mt Pritchard man about 9.45pm (AEST) yesterday and questioned him overnight.

He was charged today with two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and three counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug.

He was refused bail and was due to face Liverpool Local Court later today.

News.com.au

 

[lil angel15]

Raids lead to drug busts
29 October 2007

A POLICE operation with a drug sniffer dog targeting people in possession of prohibited drugs has uncovered patrons at three separate Bathurst hotels with amounts of cannabis and amphetamines.
Details of Operation Cambridge in Bathurst using the drug sniffer dog “Eva” were related on Monday when three drug cases were dealt with in Bathurst Court House.

Local Court magistrate, Thomas Hodgson found all of the offences proved and recorded convictions and fines.

Mr Hodgson took into account a written plea of guilty to possession of 1.8 grams of cannabis from Bathurst man Michael James Brewer, 59. The magistrate fined him a total of $270.

Brewer of Piper Street had written to the court saying the amount of cannabis he had was only enough for half a cigarette. He said he smoked the drug as “an appetite enhancer”.

Police related in a statement of facts that the court relied on to convict Brewer how the sniffer dog “Eva” had shown an interest in Brewer after he’d been observed to drop a small plastic bag containing cannabis to the floor near the hotel bar about 11.30pm on July 28.

The same dog had detected Joseph John Read, 25, of Cedar Drive, Bathurst in the Family Hotel, during the same police operation about 1.40am on July 29.

The dog had sat at Read’s feet indicating he had drugs.

Read had admitted to police having cannabis saying “Yeah it’s my pot. I use it if I don’t get lucky at the pub. It was stupid of me to bring it here.”

Undercover police inside the hotel observed reactions of patrons when the drug dog arrived. They saw where Read dropped cannabis to the floor before he admitted it belonged to him, Mr Hodgson convicted and fined Read $270.

In the third Melissa Thornhill, 27, of Moodie Place, Bathurst pleaded guilty to possession of 0.6 grams of amphetamines she claimed had been handed in a packet for her to hold when the police dog arrived at the Family Hotel about 11.50pm on September 28.

Because it was a hard drug, Mr Hodgson declined to give Thornhill benefits of a first offender bond, convicting and fining her $570.

Solicitor Ken Lambeth said Thornhill did not use drugs herself and felt terrible about what she had done, being found in possession of amphetamines she’d been asked to “hold for a minute”.

Mr Hodgson told Thornhill how amphetamines were causing enormous problems in the community. People who used them were being sent to gaol, mostly young men with significant mental health issues who got on amphetamines and went ‘ballistic’.

It was such a terrible drug, Mr Hodgson said, it was not appropriate to deal with Thornhill as a first offender and he placed her on a bond.

The court ordered all of the drugs discovered in the police operation to be destroyed.

Western Advocate

 

[hoptis]

Police find drugs, firearms hidden underground
29/10/2007

Adelaide police have raided more than 25 houses of members and associates of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

They say they have uncovered cash, drugs and firearms.

Five people have been arrested during the raids and police say there may be more arrests.

At a property at Woodside in the Adelaide hills, police say they found two buried shipping containers and one above ground containing cannabis plants, cash and pistols with silencers.

Police say up to five gangs have been the targets of their operation.

Assistant Commissioner Tony Harrison says the latest raids should be a firm warning to outlaw gangs.

"They believe they are a law unto themselves. They regularly carry loaded firearms. They're traditionally involved in the illicit manufacture of drugs," he said.

"It certainly does send very much a clear message to outlaw motorcycle gangs and emerging gangs as well that we are going to take a very heavy-handed approach in relation to their illegal activities."

ABC News

 

[lil angel15]

NSW police find cannabis in boot of car
October 30, 2007 - 1:04PM

More than four kilograms of cannabis have been found in the boot of a car heading up the Sturt Highway in south-western NSW, police say.

Officers patrolling the highway stopped the car at Gol Gol at 10.15am (AEDT) on Monday, searched it and allegedly found 4.57 kilograms of cannabis in the boot.

Police allege the drugs had been brought to NSW from South Australia.

A 47-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman, both from Dubbo, were arrested at the scene of the search.

The man was later charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug and two counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

The woman has been charged with possessing a prohibited drug.

Both are due to face Wentworth Local Court.

The AGE

 

[lil angel15]

Woman to face court on 80 drug charges - Bathurst
30 October 2007

Bathurst Police have arrested two women over drug supply, including one woman who has been charged with 80 drug offences.

Operation Catlin was established two months ago to target amphetamine supply in the Bathurst area.

As a result of inquiries, detectives raided two houses in West Bathurst about 1pm yesterday, seizing amphetamines, cannabis and other items.

Two women, aged 58 and 35, were arrested by police at the houses and taken to Bathurst Police Station for questioning.

The 58-year-old woman was subsequently charged with five counts of supply prohibited drug and possess prohibited drug.

The 35-year-old woman has been charged with 80 counts of supply prohibited drug as well as property offences.

They have both been refused bail to appear at Bathurst Local Court today.

NSW Police Media Unit

 

[lil angel15]

Man arrested for supplying ecstasy
October 30, 2007

POLICE have arrested a man who allegedly sold more than $600,000 worth of ecstasy on the Gold Coast in the past 18 months.

Detectives from Queensland's Drug Investigation Unit executed a search warrant on a property at Nerang, on the Gold Coast on September 9, resulting in the seizure of several drug-related items, police said.

Resulting investigations led to the arrest of a 22-year-old Nerang man this afternoon.

Police allege the man sold thousands of ecstasy pills with an estimated street value of $640,000 on the Gold Coast in the past year and a half.

He will appear in Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow to face charges of drug trafficking and supply of MDMA.

The arrest sent a strong message that police were committed to combating the supply of drugs, particularly in the lead-up to the annual schoolies celebrations on the Gold Coast, a police spokeswoman said.

The Australian