Two former dock workers face potential life sentences after being charged with importing more than 200 kilograms of methamphetamines into Melbourne in truck tyres.
An Altona Meadows man, 59, and Point Cook man, 29, were arrested by police on October 9 after raids on properties in Altona Meadows, Brooklyn, Point Cook and Hoppers Crossing. These followed an operation by combined police taskforces.
Police also raided a Laverton factory last Thursday.
The men were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug suspected of being unlawfully imported.
Police seized hard drives, mobile phones and $80,000 in cash during the raids.
They allege the men were dock workers until recently. Another Point Cook man, 25, was also arrested and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) and Australian Crime Commission taskforces from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne launched the operation on September 13 when customs officials found packages of methamphetamines concealed in the tyres of a medium-sized truck destined for Melbourne.
On October 1, the truck arrived in the port of Melbourne, where police allege it was collected by the Altona Meadows man, who took it to a Brooklyn factory two days later.
ACBPS Victorian director Graham Krisohos said the operation demonstrated the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protecting the Australian community. “No matter how sophisticated the concealment, Customs and Border Protection and our law enforcement partners have the technology and intelligence to stop these dangerous drugs at the border,” he said.
The men faced Melbourne Magistrates Court last Thursday. They did not apply for bail and were remanded to return to court on January 29.
