Sunbury, Mildura, Braybook: Victoria’s meth lab busts of 2021 revealed

It’s Victoria’s most popular drug feeding a $1.5 billion per year industry police have long called a scourge on society. These are the biggest meth lab busts of 2021.

It’s the ever-growing scourge on society, as ice addicts continue to wreak havoc across Victoria.

And it remains the drug of choice for Victorians, especially those in regional areas where consumption is about 35 per cent higher than the Melbourne average.

For those in the illegal trade, methamphetamine is big business, the most recent National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report estimates 3000kg of methamphetamine is used in Victoria each year.

At the current price of around $50 for a point of ice, that makes a total statewide expenditure of $1.5 billion – or $4 million a day.

Victoria Police statistics show only two people have been charged with manufacturing drugs over the last year, while 947 charges were laid for possession of drug making equipment or precursor chemicals.

According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s latest illicit drug data report, 77 labs were busted in Victoria with most being small residential operations.

We reveal the locations of the biggest meth labs which were uncovered by VicPol in 2021.

Sunbury rural property

Police working inside a clandestine drug lab. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Three Melbourne men were charged in November after allegedly attempting to import $90 million worth of ice from Canada.

140 kilograms of methamphetamine had been hidden inside an industrial dough mixing machine, which police allowed the alleged crims to transport to various locations around Melbourne.

Follow up raids across Victoria, saw more than $1.5 million in cash allegedly seized and a “used” clandestine meth lab was found at a rural property in Sunbury on November 17.

Mildura Bungalow

Police uncovered a backyard meth lab while searching a property on Morpung Ave in Mildura on March 19 following a tip off.

Inside they found a “large number of chemicals” and lab glassware, including beakers and a breathing apparatus.

Also seized in the raid was cash, cocaine, cannabis, methylamphetamine, an imitation firearm and firearm parts.

Irymple man Nathan John Hynes was sentenced to eight months jail as a result.

Braybrook commercial property

In June police smashed an international organised crime syndicate after seizing 160kg of cocaine in Melbourne.

As part of the global ANOM sting, officers from Operation Ironside raided a commercial property in Braybrook on June 17.

The raid followed the successful seizure of 160kg of cocaine earlier that month, imported from Hong Kong which police say was organised by a transnational crime syndicate.

At the property officers uncovered 30 containers containing about 600 litres of pseudoephedrine – a key ingredient used in the production of methamphetamine.

Yarra Ranges property

Police handle chemicals found in an alleged clandestine drug lab.

A two-month investigation allegedly took $260,000 of meth off the streets and landed a Narre Warren man in custody.

Police allegedly seized 1.4kg of a substance, believed to be methamphetamine, from a Yarra Ranges property in May.

A forensic team was called in and allegedly found a variety of chemicals, glassware, scientific equipment with liquid and solid methylamphetamine and other drug making paraphernalia.

Two residents of a Mornington Peninsula property were taken into custody in October after a routine search allegedly uncovered a drug lab.

Iris Street, Dromana

Clandestine laboratory squad packing up after spending hours taking samples from the Dromana scene.

Police allegedly discovered the clandestine lab set up in the backyard of the property, which officers said was “extremely dangerous” given its proximity to neighbours’ homes.

Clandestine Laboratory Squad detectives spent hours on site removing bags of evidence including equipment and chemicals.

A 27-year-old Dromana man and a 37-year-old Dromana woman were arrested at the scene.

Storage facilities in Melbourne’s south east

Victoria police officers hold automatic firearms.

Two “business partners” were charged in May this year after a raid on three storage facilities in Melbourne allegedly uncovered a shocking hoard.

Police say dozens of bulletproof vests, firearms, a stolen police uniform, drug-making equipment and trafficable quantities of precursor chemicals were uncovered at the sites.
Two men have been charged with a range of offences related to the alleged haul.