Ice busts: Melbourne Airport raids, home busts, as police take on drug scourge

The evil drug ice has been packed into coffee beans, stuffed in shoeboxes and hidden in houses. But police have made some big finds this year.

A string of huge ice hauls and related arrests have been made throughout Victoria in 2022. File picture.

It’s been packed into coffee beans, stuffed in shoeboxes and hidden away around the house — and it’s all been destined for our streets.

Hundreds of millions of dollars of methamphetamine has been uncovered by authorities in numerous busts all over Melbourne this year, in the fight to tackle the drug’s scourge on our city.

The drug was estimated to have cost Australians $12bn last year, mostly in police and court costs.

According to the latest crime statistics for the year ending September 2022, Melbourne CBD topped the list for the most recorded drug possession offences, followed by Casey, Knox, Dandenong, Frankston and Brimbank.

FIND OUT WHICH VICTORIAN SUBURBS ARE THE WORST AFFECTED BY ICE

However while ice possession offences remains high, the data shows recorded trafficking and dealing offences have dropped in the last two years.

Here’s five of the biggest busts, investigation breakthroughs and arrests we’ve seen this year.

MELBOURNE AIRPORT – THE COFFEE BEANS COVER-UP

A shock discovery was made by Australian Border Force officials on September 18, when more than 200kg of meth, valued at $180m, was found hidden inside a shipment of coffee beans from Panama.

The consignment seized by ABF officers which allegedly contained ice and cocaine valued at $182 million.

Officers intercepted a shipping container at Melbourne Airport after X-rays detected “anomalies” in its contents, which included the equivalent of about two million street deals of ice.

A further 6kg of cocaine – valued at $2.4m and the equivalent of more than 30,000 street deals — was also inside the container.

The AFP suspect a criminal syndicate was responsible for the shipment and its investigations are ongoing.

MELBOURNE AIRPORT – THE SHOEBOX STASHES

An elderly Canadian man allegedly had $22.3m of meth packed into several shoeboxes when he arrived in Melbourne in June.

The 76-year-old was stopped by border force officials on June 8 following a flight from Los Angeles.

A 76-year-old man was charged following an alleged $22m ice bust at Melbourne Airport in June. Picture: Supplied by Australian Border Force

They scanned a large black suitcase and allegedly found 24kg of the drug, the equivalent of about 240,000 street deals, in seven shoeboxes.

The man allegedly claimed to Australian Federal Police the substance was salt, but testing from officials allegedly returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

The man was arrested and later charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, an offence which carries a maximum penalty of life in jail.

DONCASTER EAST

Five people were arrested in two separate raids after a months-long investigation into the alleged attempted importation of 40kg of ice.

The drugs, which had a street value of $20m, were allegedly originally seized and detected offshore in the US, before they were collected and transported to a home in Doncaster East.

The first arrests took place at the home on April 3, when officers raided the home and three cars allegedly belonging to the men.

A 23-year-old Wantirna South man was arrested on June 15 in connection to an attempted importation of 40kg of ice. Picture: Supplied

Inside the cars, they allegedly found over 3kg of methylamphetamine, drug scales, a firearm, knuckle dusters, tools, passports, radio equipment and mobile phones.

A 24-year-old Glen Waverley man, a 36-year-old Doncaster man and a 20-year-old Bundoora man were arrested and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.

They faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court two days later and were further remanded.

Two more people were arrested at their homes on June 15 in connection to the attempted importation, a 23-year-old Wantirna South man, and a 31-year-old Oakleigh South man.

During the raids, police also allegedly found and seized cannabis, knives, batons and electronics.

The duo were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, and faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the following night, where they were further remanded to appear again at a later date.

The arrests were part of Taskforce Icarus and involved Victoria Police, Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police and the Department of Home Affairs.

THE ALLEGED DRUG SAFE HOUSE DISCOVERY

About 300kg of drugs – including 285kg of meth – was allegedly found at a ‘drug safe house’ in an unknown location in Melbourne in October.

The discovery was made following the arrest of a man who was allegedly trying to smuggle 120kg of cocaine in a truck filled with frozen chickens, which officers pulled over on the Hume Highway near Wallan in August.

An alleged 285kg of meth was found at a Melbourne home in connection to the dismantling of an alleged drug smuggling ring in October. Picture: iStock

The incident led investigators to allegedly find 50kg of cocaine at a home in Cairnlea in Melbourne’s north west on October 19.

Officers continued their investigation and then went to another home where they allagedly found 300kg of drugs.

They executed search warrants on October 24 and arrested a 42-year-old Windsor man, who was subsequently charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine.

WESTERN VICTORIA

A collection of drugs, guns and allegedly stolen cars, bikes and a truck, along with $200,000 cash, was allegedly seized in a series of raids in Victoria’s west on March 30.

Police from the Western Region Crime Squad raided properties in Grovedale, Highton, Point Cook, Werribee and Warrnambool, arresting six people.

700g of meth was found as part of several connected police raids in Victoria’s west in March. File picture.

Among the items allegedly seized was 700g of meth which had a street value of $420,000.

Four of those arrested were remanded and charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, and faced court the following day.

They included a 32-year-old Highton man, a 30-year-old Point Cook man, a 34-year-old Point Cook man, and a 31-year-old Warrnambool man.