Over $14M worth of drugs seized in Victoria as part of national Operation Vitreus week of action

A large-scale clandestine drug laboratory in the Shepparton area and a suitcase with nearly $1M cash alongside half a kilo of cocaine in a bayside suburb are just two of the Victorian highlights during a national week of action targeting illicit drug and organised crime activity.

Operation Vitreus is a joint initiative between all Australian state and territory police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and New Zealand Police.

Focused on detecting, disrupting and enforcing illicit drug and serious and organised crime activity, the sole aim of the operation is to reduce the availability of illicit drugs – and the associated life changing harm they present – within the community.

This year’s week of action ran from Monday 1 to Friday 5 September, with Victoria Police seizing drugs with a street value of $14M in Victoria.

Just over 70kg of various drugs including heroin, methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and synthetic opioids were seized in Victoria, along with 550kg of various pre-cursor chemicals, 90 cannabis plants and just over 23L of 1,4-butanediol.

Victoria Police arrested 194 people, issued 438 charges and executed 39 search warrants as part of the operation.

A total of $835,000 in cash was seized as well as 18 firearms.

Two significant investigations of interest in Victoria include a clandestine laboratory in Toolamba and three people arrested in Chelsea as part of a cocaine trafficking investigation.

• On 4 September, detectives from the Clandestine Laboratory Squad along with Shepparton local police executed a search warrant on a rural property in Toolamba. The Waugh Road address was found to house a large sophisticated drug lab along with various chemicals and equipment. This included about 500kg of pre-cursor chemicals and large quantities of methylamphetamine and MDMA. A 30-year-old Deer Park man was arrested and charged with a range of drug offences. A subsequent warrant was also executed at a Braybrook storage facility on 5 September, with police locating further equipment and chemicals. A further three people from were arrested including a 40-year-old man, a 39-year-old man and a 38-year-old man, all from St Albans. The trio were all charged with a range of drug offences and all four men have been remanded in custody to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 4 March next year. The investigation remains ongoing and the Toolamba lab is still in the process of being forensically dismantled.

• On 1 September, detectives from the Caulfield Divisional Response Unit executed warrants at two properties in Chelsea and Moorabbin as part of an investigation into the trafficking of cocaine and ketamine. At the Embankment Grove address in Chelsea, police located half a kilogram of cocaine as well as a suitcase with approximately $785,000 cash. Two men aged 22 and 23 from Chelsea were arrested and charged with a range of drug offences. Police subsequently located a further $5000 cash at the Wren Road, Moorabbin address during a warrant the following day.

Nationally, police seized 569.2kg of cocaine, 90.6kg of methamphetamine, 58.3kg of ketamine, 3.1kg of MDMA, 1271 cannabis plants, 1959.2L of 1,4-butanedioland 140.4kg of loose cannabis in addition to large quantities of other drugs and precursors.

Police also seized almost $1.7M in cash, 52 firearms, nine vehicles, and dismantled two clandestine drug labs.

According to the most recent ACIC Wastewater Report, between August 2023 and August 2024, 22.2 tonnes of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA was consumed across Australia, representing a 34 per increase from the previous year.

In Victoria, methylamphetamine consumption increased by 23 per cent on the previous year, with cocaine consumption up by 90 per cent and MDMA consumption increasing by 40 per cent.

The prevalence of illicit substances within society and the impact they have on human behaviour translates into road trauma, family violence, homicides, shootings and other violent offending intrinsically linked to the illicit drug trade.

Illicit drug use also contributes to high levels of community harm through drug driving, drug-fuelled assaults, drug-fuelled family violence and heightened risk-taking.

Anyone with information on illicit drug activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Quotes attributable to Detective Acting Superintendent Matt Volk, Victoria Police Organised Crime Division:

“Unfortunately we are continuing to see increasing levels of illicit drug consumption both in Victoria and nationally, and the results from this week of action demonstrate the consequences of this.

“This is only one week out of 52 – and while this is just a snapshot, no doubt on any other week you would be seeing similar results.

“As the cost of living has risen, we are not seeing the appetite for illicit drugs go down in any way. We know that Australians have consistently had a significant appetite for illicit drugs and as such, our willingness to pay a premium for them has made us an attractive market for serious and organised crime groups involved in the drug trade.

“Ultimately it’s about holding people accountable where they break the law and bring significant harm to our community, but also challenging attitudes around what is acceptable behaviour at every single point on the drug production, trafficking and consumption train.

“Alongside our partner agencies, we are completely committed to making Victoria as hostile an environment as possible for anyone associated with the trafficking of drugs and will continue running operations such as this to hold people accountable.”

Natalie Webster

Media Unit

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