QUEENSLAND: Police have seized about $1 million of drugs after closing a 12-month operation targeting alleged trafficking networks in Mackay and the Whitsundays.
They arrested 57 people, who are facing more than 270 charges including trafficking, supplying and producing drugs.
Taskforce Maxima Detective Inspector Terry Lawrence said police seized the drugs ice, methamphetamines, cocaine and cannabis.
Property was also seized, with police taking hold of sports cars, jetskis, drugs, cash, jewellery, rifles and a taser.
About 160 police from the local area, Brisbane and the Gold Coast were involved in the operation, with the arrests and raids occurring in the last 24 hours.
“We’ve been looking for these gangs spreading their business into provincial areas. We started off looking off entirely at entertainment precincts and the operation evolved out of there,” Detective Inspector Lawrence said.
Police claim those arrested were part of small syndicates who hid drugs in cars and transported them between Mackay and the Whitsundays. They are also investigating whether drugs were smuggled in via local airports.
Investigators believe most of the drugs were sourced from Southeast Queensland and other southern states, although some cannabis was grown locally.
While Taskforce Maxima usually investigates outlaw motorcycle gangs, Detective Inspector Lawrence said there were no links to bikies.
He said crime gangs did not have a large presence in the Mackay and Whitsunday regions.
“Whilst gangs have tentacles that go everywhere…their tentacles do spread, however we can find that they’re supplying this area but there’s no basis in them being here,” he said
“The scourge of drugs is right across Australia.”
