Keilor Park man charged after allegedly leaving fingerprints at $60m meth haul

A Keilor Park man has been charged after his fingerprints were allegedly found at the scene of a $60m meth “cook” in an Epping warehouse.

Trays of crystal meth drying in trays at an Epping warehouse raided by police.

A Keilor Park man has been charged over a $60m meth haul after his fingerprints were allegedly found at the scene of a large-scale “cook”.

The 30-year-old was arrested on Thursday, the third detained in a three-month Australian Federal Police investigation code-named Tate.

The AFP says two members of a syndicate allegedly manufacturing and importing large quantities of meth had already been arrested and charged.

Crystal meth in trays at an Epping warehouse raided by police. Picture: Victoria Police

Trays of crystal meth found by detectives. Picture: Supplied

That followed the discovery in October of a clandestine laboratory which had been operating out of a warehouse at Epping, in Melbourne’s north.

Police say they found 60kg of methamphetamine, the equivalent of 600,000 separate street deals.

The lab was pulled apart by special Victoria Police officers and drugs and precursor chemicals seized by the AFP.

An AFP statement said the Keilor Park man was arrested with help from Victoria Police.

“In December, Victoria Police forensics allegedly identified the fingerprints of a 30-year-old Keilor Park man, on items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine at the clandestine laboratory allegedly operated by the syndicate,” the statement said.

He has been charged with possessing and manufacturing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and possession of a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs reasonably suspected to have been imported.

The man faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Thursday and was bailed to reappear in March.

The lab was pulled apart by special Victoria Police officers.

The raid was part of a three-month Australian Federal Police investigation code-named Tate.

The AFP said it carried out search warrants at Keilor Park and Mill Park last Thursday and seized cannabis.

A Thomastown man, 36, was arrested at Epping and a Westmeadows man, 33, detained at Airport West on the day of the warehouse raid.

They have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug reasonably suspected of being imported and manufacturing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Detective Insp. Rick Briggs of the AFP said Tate had dealt a significant blow.

“This investigation has stopped a production line of methamphetamine from hitting Australian streets, and prevented millions of dollars of drug profit flowing back into the syndicate to fund their next criminal venture,” Insp. Briggs said.

Detective Insp. Anthony Vella of Victoria Police said clandestine laboratories were inherently dangerous places.

“They pose significant health and safety risks to the community and many of the chemicals involved in drug manufacture are highly volatile, explosive or carcinogenic in nature,” said Det-Insp Vella.

“Residual contamination resulting from the manufacture of these illicit substances also presents a serious risk to both human and environmental health.”