A 37-year-old man will face court today after the seizure of more than $130,000 in cash, a stash of methamphetamine valued at about $1.2 million, and a number of vehicles and firearms.
Key points:
- Police said “an enormous amount of property” had been seized at five Canberra properties
- The total value of the property is estimated at $500,000
- Detective Sergeant John Giles said they had “made a dent” in the local drugs market
The raids were conducted yesterday at a commercial property in Hume in the Australian Capital Territory, and at four residential properties located across Canberra.
Police said they also seized bags of coins they believed may have been stolen from the Royal Australian Mint, and a jet ski.
The man faces charges that include trafficking in a prescribed drug other than cannabis, and possession of property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
Police seize jet ski, go-karts in raids
Police seized more than $130,000 in cash in the raids.(Supplied: ACT Policing)
ACT Policing Detective Sergeant John Giles said the investigation was resolved with a traffic stop, in which 800 grams of methamphetamine and the cash were seized.
He said an “enormous amount of property” was then discovered at the properties in Hume, Gordon, Chisholm, and at two premises in Calwell.
The property all of which was brand new included a Seadoo jet ski, a Holden GTS Commodore, a Ford Raptor, a racing go-kart, and three motorbikes, valued at an estimated $500,000.
Police also seized a semi-automatic firearm and 12 prohibited weapons.
Detective Sergeant Giles said signs that a person was “living beyond their means” was often one of the elements that brought them to the attention of police.
“I think the message from yesterday is that if people are going to deal in illicit substances then ACT police are coming for you,” Detective Sergeant Giles said.
“We will put you before court in relation to drug charges, we will seize your assets under proceeds of crime, and we will conduct the investigations in relation to unexplained wealth with the financial investigations team.”
He said police were still investigating where the methamphetamine had been sourced from.
“There is an elaborate distribution network that’s active in the ACT and we are investigating that as well,” he said.
“There is a rise in methamphetamine use unfortunately it’s one of those elements where, when there’s a need for something, there’s always going to be a market.
“These people are making huge amounts of money out of other people’s unhappiness and we’re coming for them.”
Detective Sergeant Giles said yesterday’s development would have an impact on the local drug supply market.
“It will certainly put a dent in the ACT market, but there’s been some good seizures in the ACT recently and we hope that will continue,” he said.
‘An interesting one’: Coins likely stolen from Mint
Police say thousands of coins suspected of being stolen from the Mint were seized in the raids in Canberra.(Supplied: ACT Policing)
Detective Sergeant Giles said they had been in contact with the Royal Australian Mint regarding the coins discovered in yesterday’s raids.
He did not say whether any coins had been reported stolen from the institution.
“The coins from the Mint are an interesting one,” he said.
“They are still subject to an ongoing investigation.
“In fact we’ve had discussions with the Mint this morning and we’ll have a little bit of clarity around that in the coming days.”
Detective Sergeant Giles said there were no known links between the crime and gangs in the ACT, and that the individual charged was the only person police expect to arrest in relation to the seizures.
Police do expect to lay further charges against the man, and said they intend to oppose bail.