50 more people nabbed in Coast ice racket mass arrests

THERE were tears and shouts from the gallery as about 15 people, including at least four women, fronted the Maroochydore Magistrate’s Court on drug charges.

UPDATE:

POLICE have officially closed a major drug operation in south east Queensland which uncovered more than $1.5m of ice.

Sunshine Coast and Moreton police together with officers from the Drug and Serious Crime Group have made further arrests following the closure of Operation Mike Tyras, a multi-agency operation working to dismantle a commercial ice drug network.

Further search warrants were executed yesterday resulting in the seizure of a small quantity of amphetamines and cannabis and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.

Most of the search warrants were executed on the Sunshine Coast.

An extra 58 people were charged with 318 offences including supply and produce dangerous drugs, other drug related offences, firearms and property offences.

They will appear before the Maroochydore Magistrates Court over the coming weeks.

Det Inspector Lance Vercoe and Det Inspector Dave Drinnen discuss details of a significant drug raid on the Sunshine Coast and wider areas that has caught a large number of traffickers. Photo: John McCutcheon / Sunshine Coast Daily. Picture: john mccutcheon

EARLIER: 

THERE were tears and shouts from the gallery as about 15 people, including at least four women, fronted the Maroochydore Magistrate's Court on a series of drug charges.

They were arrested on Tuesday as part of an eight-month sophisticated multi-agency police investigation which helped smash a major drug syndicate and has taken about $1.5 million of ice off our streets.

A total of 92 arrests were made with 214 charges laid.

RELATED: POLICE FREEZE COAST ICE TRADE IN $1.5M DRUG BUST 

Each of the accused appeared one-by-one in their regulation brown prison dress before Magistrate Annette Hennessy.

Weapons hidden in walls.

Ms Hennessy was quick to silence the packed gallery when someone shouted out.

She also warned one of the charged, Reginald Roderick Oakhill, would be sent back to jail without a hearing if he continued looking at the back of the court.

The police prosecutor opposed bail on all accounts.

But Ms Hennessy gave two of the accused bail with strict conditions.

The rest would remain in jail with the next court mention scheduled for August 24.

Yesterday another 20 people were arrested after police executed another 27 search warrants throughout south east Queensland.

A majority of the searches were at Sunshine Coast homes.