Drug crime soars in Mildura as meth, cannabis drive record surge of recorded offences

Drug offences have soared to their highest level in years across Mildura, with new data revealing a dramatic surge in possession charges and the city’s drug problem touching all corners of the community.

Drug crime soared in Mildura as meth and cannabis drive a record surge of recorded offences according the latest stats from the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria.

Mildura drug crime has surged by more than 30 per cent in the past 10 years, according to the latest crime statistics.

576 drug offences were recorded in Mildura in the year to March 2025 — the highest level since 2021 — according to data published by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency.

This was a 31 per cent increase from the 437 offences recorded in 2016.

Four out of every five drug offences was a drug possession charge in Mildura city, with one drug possession charge laid every 18 hours.

The drug crisis is touching all corners of the community, from vulnerable youth to business professionals.

In a recent case, well-known Mildura real estate agent Danielle Flechsig narrowly escaped jail after becoming involved in both trafficking and using methamphetamine.

Mildura real estate agent Danielle Flechsig narrowly avoided jail after pleading guilty to both possessing and trafficking methamphetamine in June of 2025

Methamphetamine remains the most common drug seized during investigations in Mildura.

In Mildura city alone, drug offences increase by 17 per cent from 2024 despite drug dealing and manufacturing charges decreasing in the area.

Red Cliffs and Irymple also proved to be hotspots for drug possession.

Drug dealers, traffickers, growers and manufacturers stuck close to their customers, and were also most frequently busted in Mildura.

Cannabis was Mildura users’ drug of choice, closely followed by meth.

Police made headlines in April after uncovering an alleged $1m meth operation in Red Cliffs that led to four arrests.

Mildura investigation and response manager Inspector Matt Pascoe said high-profile busts were the result of months of targeted police work.

Methamphetamine and cannabis were Mildura drug users drug of choice. Picture: Generic

He said the above bust, and others like it, showed officers in the region were “multiple steps ahead of local drug dealers”.

“These are not one-off wins, they’re the result of dogged investigative work determined to cut off drug supply at the source,” Inspector Pascoe said.

“In 2025, local police have executed some of the region’s biggest drug busts in recent times.

“This includes an alleged Mildura trafficking syndicate dismantled in April, which led to the seizure of more than $1m worth of methylamphetamine.

“A month earlier, officers arrested another man and seized over half a kilo of methylamphetamine valued at more than $250,000.

“If you’re trafficking drugs in our community, we will find you. Our teams are relentless, and we’re committed to shutting down drug networks before the damage is done.”