Police probe French drug gang bombarding Chapel St
A FRENCH gang is bombarding the Chapel St drug market, with up to 50 dealers also expanding into nightspots across the city.
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A FRENCH gang is bombarding the Chapel St drug market, with up to 50 dealers also expanding into nightspots across the city.
The demand for their illicit substances is so big, concerned club bosses say a single dealer can offload 300 caps of MDMA in one night, pocketing $7500.
The Herald Sun can reveal Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police are investigating the gang, which has between 30 and 50 dealers dominating Chapel St and nearby party spots.
And as police ramp up patrols along the notorious party strip — even bringing out sniffer dogs to nab dealers outside bars and clubs — insiders say the French connection is now also targeting King St strip clubs, St Kilda and Crown Casino.
Established dealers are luring mates from overseas with the promise of flashy lifestyle, with key players driving luxury cars, flying in helicopters and wearing designer shoes and clothes according to industry sources. Most fly over on working or holiday visas.
“They are getting addicted to the lifestyle and the money,” a whistleblower said.
“These guys have nothing and then it’s a smorgasbord.”
Four French nationals, including a waiter and backpacker, are known to have faced court for drug trafficking in 2016 and 2017.
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But nightclub operators have become so concerned about the gang and fears over some of the ingredients their drugs are laced with, some are refusing French people entry into venues.
Up to a dozen dealers from the French syndicate, often carrying the stash in their underwear, spread themselves through each club, brazenly asking partygoers if they need drugs.
Police put a major dent in the MDMA trade after it tore down international syndicates in two major drug busts in New South Wales last year.
But the demand for MDMA — also known as Molly — is still high, causing it to be increasingly cut it with other agents to make it last further.
In January this year, three people died and 20 were hospitalised across the Chapel St precinct and Melbourne after a toxic batch of the MDMA was laced with a cocktail of the synthetic hallucinogen NBOMe, likened to psychedelic drug LSD, and the psychoactive chemical 4-FA.
The gang has also been linked to the killer MDMA.
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Regarding the French issue, the AFP said: “As this is a VicPol investigation, the AFP doesn’t have any comment to make.”
Victoria Police Acting Sergeant Melissa Seach said on Monday she could not make any specific comment because it was an “ongoing investigation”.
“Police have zero tolerance for drug traffickers and will continue to prevent, detect and disrupt people who bring drugs into the community,” she added.