Hidden in plain sight: Criminals using storage facilities to stash drugs, weapons and tobacco

Members of organised crime syndicates are increasingly renting out storage units to stash drugs, tobacco, weapons and cash and avoid detection by police.

Self storage facilities have become safe havens for dodgy criminals looking to store lethal drugs, illegal firearms and imported illicit tobacco.

Organised crime syndicate members are using the rented sheds to hide huge stashes of drugs, tobacco, weapons and cash to avoid suspicion at their own homes or businesses.

And while many storage companies work with authorities to notify them of suspicious activity, they are unable to track the contents of every storage shed across their many sites.

The sheds are also a popular choice for those under firearm prohibition orders who want to avoid storing their weapons at their homes or in their vehicles.

Two men have been charged after 10kg of meth was seized from a self storage unit. Picture: ABF

Deakin University criminologist professor David Bright said the sheds were a secure way for criminals to keep guns and drugs “at arms lengths”.

“They don’t want to have those items linked directly to them,” he said.

“They keep them elsewhere so they’re close by and accessible, and storage units are one of those options.

“A storage unit around the corner means one can access (a firearm) if something goes down and they need it.”

Several storage companies offer 24/7 access, which appeals to those looking to move goods at more discrete times of the night.

The cost of a storage unit, which is a fraction of the profit made from selling the illegal goods, makes them an attractive and secure place to store the items.

A 3x3m storage unit can be rented for about $80 per week, and a garage-sized area would set renters back around $400 a month, making it an affordable refuge in the big money organised crime trade.

One self-storage company in Melbourne offers a “private” storage area, where “no one even knows what you are storing”.

“You keep the only keys to your lock. No one else is allowed access to your space, not even the self storage company,” the company website states.

One storage facility brand says ‘you keep the only keys to the lock’. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“In fact, no one even knows what you are storing, and your personal details are always kept confidential. Nobody else has access to move or use or interfere with your goods, because they are in your own private space.”

Officers descended on a storage unit in Richmond earlier this month where they uncovered 10kg of methamphetamine imported from Mexico.

That led to the arrest of three people — two of which are now facing the prospect of life behind bars.

Detectives investigating the illicit smoke trade uncovered 25kg of tobacco and more than 500,000 cigarettes from storage facilities in Highett and Korumburra in November.

A storage shed in Mordialloc was also raided earlier this year as part of an investigation that saw 22 guns wiped from the streets and 10 people charged.

The latest crime data shows offences recorded at warehouses and storage facilities reached a 10-year high, with more than 3000 offences detected in the past 12 months.

It is understood those figures include dozens of large seizures of drugs and illegal firearms.