More than a dozen charged after two-day drug bust operation in Mid West
More than a dozen people have been arrested after a targeted operation in the Mid West uncovered more than $10,000 worth of meth and hundreds of rounds of unlicensed ammunition.
According to police, Geraldton and Mullewa officers had zeroed in on the sale of meth between June 25 and 27, and found 14 people believed to be connected to the operation.
Following an investigation, officers and the canine unit executed 11 search warrants throughout the Mid West-Gascoyne District.
The search uncovered more than $10,000 worth of meth, around $12,000 in cash, 50 grams of cannabis, hundreds of rounds of unlicensed ammunition and a large amount of drug paraphernalia.
It’s understood a number of people involved with the network have been charged with 34 offences relating to the bust.
The news comes after another drug bust operation in the North West, after a parcel was intercepted at a Perth frieght depot by the Australian Border Force earlier this month.
Officers found it contained about 500 grams of meth.
As a result of the find, the Australian Federal Police, Organised Crime Squad officers and South Hedland detectives executed a number of search warrants in the Port Hedland area on Thursday.
They seized over one kilograms of meth throughout their investigation.
Two men, aged 46 and 41, were arrested and charged in relation to the find.
They were both charged with two counts of possessing a trafficable quantity of meth with intent to supply each, and a number of other offences.
They appeared in the South Hedland Magistrates Court on Friday.
Both drugs busts comes afterWAtoday revealed the WA police force was refining its approach to tackling drug trafficking in the state, and acting commissioner Col Blanch said there would be a stronger focus on networks rather than drug-type.
"We are future-proofing our efforts against organised crime. The focus has not gone away from meth, the focus has actually gone towards those individuals and those groups who do traffic in meth.
"Let’s say they do meth for one month, and they do heroin for a week, and then meth [again]; it’s about continuing the pressure on any illegal activity they are doing."
The new approach will see 30 to 35 detectives assigned to three individual teams, including a group targeted at enforcement, target development and high harm disruption.
The strategy aims to continue work on WA's Regional Priority Organisation Target list, which has identified six different drug syndicates currently of concern in WA and is closely connected to the national strategy run by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.