During the course of the week-long operation known as Operation Vitreus, which targeted criminal drug syndicates, law enforcement officers from all across the country participated in more than 400 separate raids around the country.
As part of the joint national operation, the police raided residences, homes, and businesses, and they even uncovered cocaine buried in wilderness in Western Australia. As a result of their efforts, the authorities were able to seize drugs with an estimated market value of $475 million.
The raids resulted in the seizure of 185 kilograms of cannabis, 814 kilograms of methamphetamine, 182 kilograms of MDMA, thousands of plants from hydroponic crops, and more.
There were a total of 990 arrests made, and those arrests were made in connection with 2,052 drug-related offences.
The operation, which was led by the major drug squad and took place in Victoria, resulted in 149 arrests, 361 drug-related charges, the execution of 87 search warrants, and the recovery of 19 firearms, 13 vehicles, and around $475,000. Cash was also seized during the operation.
Methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, MDMA, ecstasy, cannabis (both dry and plants), and 1,4-butanediol with a total aggregate worth of more than $5.76 million were seized by the Victoria police.
Despite the discovery of a narcotic crop with a street value of more than $11.5 million buried on a remote farm in Queensland, authorities have not yet made an arrest in connection with the case.
On a rural property in Gunalda, which is located north of Gympie, six enormous greenhouses were discovered housing a hydroponic marijuana harvest that consisted of more than 2,200 cannabis plants.
Each greenhouse measured 80 meters in length and 10 meters in width, and it held around 7 kilograms of cannabis in its dried form in addition to 2,284 cannabis plants.
Additionally, drug utensils and hydroponic equipment were taken into custody by the police.
The enormous haul has been lauded by the police, but the investigation is still ongoing because no one was found at the residence during the search warrant.
In addition, detectives in Queensland seized packages that included methamphetamine, MDMA, GHB, cannabis, cocaine, prescription medications, and steroids in order to put an end to a drug distribution network that they believed was shipping drugs through the postal system.
Nearly 30 kilograms of methamphetamine were found buried in wilderness outside of Perth, Western Australia, by police. The drugs are thought to have been placed there by criminal motorcycle gangs.
A dial-a-dealer ring was dismantled by the police in New South Wales.
Detectives were able to seize around two kilograms of cocaine, approximately one hundred sixty-eight thousand and four hundred seventy dollars in cash, twenty liters of what is believed to be GBL, a pistol, eight automobiles, stolen registration plates, and things that were compatible with the preparation of drugs.
Dan Ryan, the detective acting superintendent for the Victoria police department, stated that about $50 million worth of illegal substances were captured in this country just in the past week.
“Drug trafficking affects all of us, whether it be the associated criminal activity in our local communities or the trauma caused by traffic accidents, family violence, homicides, or shootings”.
