Victorian cannabis dealers: Suburbs with most dealing and use revealed
Cranbourne has the most cannabis dealing offences in Victoria, it can be revealed, but use of the drug is not confined to suburbs in Melbourne’s southeast. And several Victorian towns make the list of hotspots. SEE THE FULL LIST OF HOTSPOTS
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A suburb in Melbourne’s southeast has become a hotspot for cannabis dealers and users.
The latest Crime Statistics Agency data in the year to March reveals Cranbourne as having the most drug dealing and trafficking offences at 18, Werribee (17) came in second, while Mildura (17), came in third.
Other suburbs that made the top 10 include Shepparton (16), Narre Warren (13), Sunshine, St Albans, Springvale Warrnambool and Cape Bridgewater (12).
Hamilton took the top spot the previous year at (24), Melbourne’s CBD (23) and Cranbourne at (22).
Last month, a pair of cannabis crop cutters were jailed after making a desperate dash when police came knocking at their Narre Warren drug den.
Vietnamese nationals Toan Vu, 23 and Son Pham, 29, pleaded guilty in the County Court on August 19 after close to 200 cannabis plants were uncovered on Wood Rd on August 12 last year.
The cash-strapped pair tried to flee through the garage along with another accused man when officers swooped just before midday.
Officers found more than 135kg of cannabis made up of plants, cuttings and dried substance spread across six rooms as well as lamps, water pumps, electrical transformers and an electrical bypass controlled by timing devices.
Data also obtained by Leader reveals Melbourne’s CBD as having the most cannabis drug use and possession offences at 336, with Dandenong (232) second and Hampton Park (156).
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.
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