Melbourne mums Lara Domajnko and Sophia Polites charged with drug trafficking meth and heroin
A Melbourne accountant and another mum were allegedly part of a drug gang armed to the teeth with guns, an IED and a bazooka.
Inner South
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A Melbourne accountant is among two mums implicated in a large-scale drug dealing racket, police allege.
Mums Sophia Polites, 43, and Lara Domajnko, 35, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with dozens of offences including trafficking a large commercial quantity of meth and heroin.
Polites and Domajnko, who most recently worked as a chartered accountant for Vicinity, were also charged with trafficking 1,4 butanediol and testosterone
The pair was arrested along with Marc Andrews and Shaheen Waheed following raids at Richmond, Caulfield North, St Kilda East and Maxx Apartments St Kilda on July 29 this year.
Maxx Apartments was shutdown for hours while bomb response unit members cleared a rocket launcher, an improvised explosive device and another “explosive substance” from the swanky St Kilda Rd building.
It was alleged the explosive devices were capable of being remotely detonated.
Waheed, who was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of meth and heroin, was allegedly linked to the rocket launcher.
It’s also alleged Waheed was nabbed with a pen pistol, a 12-guage sawn-off shotgun and a handgun holster.
Polites, Domajnko, Andrews and Waheed were all allegedly linked to the IED, body armour vests, cash, ammunition, various knives and guns and multiple passports.
The foursome allegedly peddled drugs between November 2020 and July 29 this year.
Investigators allegedly seized 2kg of meth with a street value of $210,000 and 1kg of heroin estimated at $90,000.
It’s alleged $58,000 cash, ballistic vests, a pen pistol, a sawn-off shotgun, 2200 rounds of ammunition, knives and knuckledusters were seized from Maxx.
The other raids netted police another 1kg of meth, cash, a large quantity of 1,4 butanediol, weapons and a ballistic vest.
Andrews, 43, of Richmond, was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of meth and heroin, trafficking bute and testosterone and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Andrews also copped possession of explosive substances, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of multiple prohibited weapons charges.
Waheed, 45, Domajnko, both of St Kilda East, and Polites, of Caulfield North, were slapped with possession of an explosive substance, being prohibited persons in possession of a firearm and dealing with the proceeds of crime charges.
Domajnko copped further charges after she was allegedly nabbed at Box Hill with $8435, multiple designer handbags suspected of being the proceeds of crime, Valium, bute and meth on August 4.
Acting Inspector Dean Grande said officers had worked around the clock to dismantle the crime network, which had allegedly operated through the southeastern suburbs.
“If these drugs or firearms had made it into the community, they would have caused untold damage. Instead, they will be destroyed without reaching a single drug user and destroying anyone’s life,” Inspector Grande said.
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