Victorian meth dealers: Suburbs with most meth dealers
A town in the state’s northeast has the most meth use and trafficking offences, it can be revealed, but it isn’t the only regional hotspot. And Melbourne suburbs are not immune. SEE THE FULL LIST
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A rural town in Victoria is awash with meth dealers with more than 100 offences, according to the latest crime data.
Crime Statistics Agency data in the year to March reveals Wangaratta as having the state’s most drug dealing and trafficking offences at 106, Dandenong (39) came in second, while Warrnambool (36), came in third.
Other suburbs that made the top 10 include Bendigo (33), Sunshine (30), St Albans (27), Mildura (26) and Cranbourne (22).
Melbourne’s CBD took the top spot the previous year at (76), Cranbourne (47) and Mildura (41).
It comes as 11 people were charged after a major drug bust in the city’s southeast last month.
The bust included seizing a commercial quantity of what they believed to be cocaine and methylamphetamine, along with large amounts of GHB and cannabis.
Arrests were carried out by police spanned at least ten suburbs as part of Operation Brandish’s ongoing investigation into drug trafficking across the city that has been running for almost a year.
Data also obtained by Leader reveals Melbourne’s CBD as having the most meth drug use and possession offences at 211, Dandenong (176) and Frankston (138).
A Victoria Police spokesman said while drug use in the Victorian community continued to be a significant concern for police, both in rural and metropolitan areas, an increase in the detection of offences such as drug use and possession was actually considered a positive result.
“With more police in the community than ever before, Victoria Police has the resources to detect criminal offences such as drug use and possession, which may have previously gone undetected and this is reflected in the statistics,” the spokesman said.
“It is also important to remember the postcodes attached to each offence are where the offence is detected and not where the offender resides, while a number of postcodes with higher numbers of drug-related offences also have a significant number of licensed premises.”
The spokesman said police were committed to the pillars of drug harm minimisation – those being prevention, treatment, reducing harm and reducing supply.
“Victoria Police has zero tolerance for drug traffickers, especially those who prey on the vulnerable. In order to drive down the harm caused by drugs in our communities.
“This includes work on a localised level with Divisional Response Units and Crime Investigation Units, right up to the state and international level with Victoria Police’s Drug Taskforce and the Melbourne-based Joint Organised Crime Task Force (JOCTF) led by the AFP and including Victoria Police, Australian Border Force and the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission.”
He said coronavirus restrictions had also meant police were more readily able to identify suspicious or illegal activity in the community, leading to detections of drug related offending on Victoria’s streets.
MORE:
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VICTORIAN SUBURBS WITH THE MOST ECSTASY DEALERS
WHERE HEROIN DEALING IS MOST RIFE IN MELBOURNE
WHERE GHB DEALERS MOSTLY PLY THEIR TRADE IN VICTORIA
VICTORIAN SUBURBS WITH MOST CANNABIS DEALERS
Originally published as Victorian meth dealers: Suburbs with most meth dealers