Victorian ecstasy dealers: Suburbs with most drug deals revealed
Ecstasy dealers are most prevalent in some of Melbourne’s biggest nightclub and party precincts, it can be revealed. But they are also targeting several suburban areas and Victorian towns. SEE THE FULL LIST OF HOTSPOTS
Leader
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Popular nightclub and outdoor dining precincts in Victoria have been revealed as a hotspot for ecstasy dealers.
The latest Crime Statistics Agency data in the year to March reveals Melbourne (St Kilda Rd district) as having the state’s most ecstasy dealing and trafficking offences at 16, St Kilda (12) came in second, while Melbourne’s CBD (10), came in third.
Other suburbs that made the top 10 include Bendigo (10), Docklands (9), Maribyrnong (8).
Richmond, Frankston, Warrnambool and Mildura (7).
Melbourne’s CBD took the top spot the previous year at (28), Hampton Park (23) and Melbourne Airport (14).
It comes as 11 people were charged after a major drug bust in the city’s southeast last month.
The bust included seizing a commercial quantity of what they believed to be cocaine and methylamphetamine, along with large amounts of GHB and cannabis.
Arrests were carried out by police spanned at least ten suburbs as part of Operation Brandish’s ongoing investigation into drug trafficking across the city that has been running for almost a year.
Data also obtained by Leader reveals Melbourne’s CBD as having the most drug use and possession offences at 81, Kensington, Flemington (55) and Melbourne (St Kilda Rd district, 35).
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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