CANBERRA: More than half-a-million dollars in methylamphetamine has been seized by police in a series of raids across Canberra.
The seven-day operation saw 29 search warrants and seven emergency searches conducted across the city.
One drug lab was uncovered and 5.5 kilograms of the drug ice, with an estimated street value of $550,000, was seized.
During the raids, police took control of a house, a car and almost $179,000 in cash.
Three replica guns, four Tasers, and other illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, cannabis and MDMA tablets were also uncovered.
Four people were arrested for drug and property offences and another four are expected to be summonsed to appear at a later date.
Police said the raids were not necessarily linked.
“We believe the clandestine laboratory may be part of an organised crime syndicate,” Detective Sergeant Richard Gough said.
“However, the other properties that we raided were working individually as drug traffickers.”
The announcement comes just four days after the Australian Federal Police seized $10 million worth of ice which was delivered to the Canberra suburb of Kaleen.
ACT Police Detective Sergeant Gough said ACT drug dealers were working across borders.
“The ice is being sourced from somewhere, possibly Sydney as we saw last week with the seizure of 10 kilograms of methylamphetamine that was stopped by Border Force at the ports,” he said.
“We believe that is how the methylamphetamine makes its way into our community, aside from the clandestine laboratories that we now know are in our community as well in the suburbs.”
The raids were conducted as part of an operation targeting ice that began earlier this month.
Police said investigations were continuing.
ACT Police Detective Senior Constable John Callaghan said the seizure should serve as a warning to Canberra drug dealers.
“Phoennix is a reminder to drug dealers within the community that ACT Policing has the capacity to identify and disrupt all methods of illicit drug supply,” he said.
“Ice is a devastating drug in the community. We’ve spoken to numerous drug users across the territory and all of them have expressed the devastating effects that the drug has had.
“None of them wish to continue being on the drug. However, once it’s got a grip of them they can’t get off it.”
