Operation Ironside drug raids uncover pill press in central Victoria

Police have busted a Breaking Bad-style drug lab at a property near Bendigo, with neighbours shocked to discover the scale of the operation.

Strathfieldsaye man Adam Currie, 47, was arrested by Drug Taskforce detectives on Tuesday, April 27, following a raid on his Taylors Lane home. Picture: Zizi Averill

Police have foiled a Breaking Bad-style illegal drug manufacturing operation on a rural property outside of Bendigo.

A pill press capable of churning out 1000 ecstasy tablets a minute was at the heart of a major drug syndicate operating out of a shed.

The American-manufactured press was uncovered as part of the global swoop by Operation Ironside investigators in a worldwide sting.

Described by police as an extensive manufacturing site, the green shed contained 30,000 tablets with a street value of about $750,000 along with a stash of MDMA.

Neighbours told the Herald Sun they had no idea the pill press was churning out thousands of ecstasy tablets just metres from their homes.

Drug taskforce detectives raided the Strathfieldsaye property, 10km southeast of Bendigo, in April.

A pill press able to churn out 1000 ecstasy tablets per minute was found at a drug lab near Bendigo. Picture: Supplied

Leading Senior Constable Kendra Jackson said detectives found drugs with a street value worth more than $3.7 million.

The haul included 25kg of MDMA tablets, about 75kg of powders, chemicals, dyes and binding agents used to press MDMA tablets and manufacture commercial drug machinery.

A Strathfieldsaye woman, who asked not to be named, said she had never met the alleged drug traffickers.

She said given the property was hidden, it was the “perfect place to run a drug lab”.

“It’s so quiet and everyone minds their own business and is trusting,” she said.

“We all know each other, we say hello when we drive by.

“There’s a lot of retired people here … a lot of people have been here for decades.”

Another neighbour said he had no idea the alleged criminal enterprise was lurking across the road.

“I was absolutely blown away,” the Taylor Ln resident said.

“I just can‘t get my head around it.”

The Strathfieldsaye man said it was a peaceful area and there was nothing suspicious about it until Drug Taskforce detectives raided it on Tuesday April 27.

“I can tell you now, if anyone around here says they suspected it they’re just trying to be a smart arse,” he said.

Another neighbour said she heard a “commotion” on the day of the raid.

Adam Currie, 47, was arrested and charged in relation to the raid.

He is set to appear in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on July 28 for a committal hearing.