Werribee homes allegedly used for drug imports

Two Werribee homes are at the centre of an international drug syndicate investigation that has led to the arrest of two Iranian men.

The pair, 30 and 34, were charged over the attempted importation of 19 kilograms of opium with a street value of about $1.1 million.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) began a controlled delivery of three machine parts to a residential address in Werribee last week.

The consignment was then moved to another Werribee address, where the two men were arrested for attempting to access the machine parts where the opium was hidden.

Further investigations found that six packages seized in June this year were linked to this operation. All six packages contained opium.

AFP acting national manager of crime operations Paul Osborne said the matter was an example of groups sending multiple importations of illegal narcotics in an attempt to avoid detection.

The men were charged with attempting to possess a marketable quantity of a controlled drug. They appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody to the same court on January 27.