Victorians’ shocking cocaine habit revealed

Victoria’s top drug cop warned cocaine was no longer just for “the rich and famous”, with new figures revealing a dark truth.

Victorians are spending almost half a billion dollars a year on cocaine.

The shock discovery comes as the state’s top drug cop warned cocaine was no longer just for “the rich and famous” and new figures reveal an explosion in cocaine trafficking and possession offences.

Figures show an estimated $486m was spent on cocaine statewide last year. The sum is based on the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Report, which found 1216kg of cocaine was consumed in Victoria at up to $400 a gram.

Organised crime syndicates are getting rich off the boom, often using outlaw motorcycle gangs to distribute the drug.

Detective Inspector Jim Sullivan, who heads Victoria Police’s specialist Drug Taskforce, said police “will not rest” in their fight to take down dangerous drug syndicates.

“Victoria Police is committed to dismantling and disrupting organised crime activity in this state and country. We will not rest,” he said.

Det Insp Sullivan was speaking to the Herald Sun for Powderkeg, a groundbreaking print and online series launched on Tuesday that delves into the lives, crooks and cash behind Australia’s deadly cocaine habit.

Historically, cocaine has been seen as a high society party drug

Cocaine crimes have skyrocketed in recent years. Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency reveal a 145 per cent surge in cocaine trafficking offences since 2016.

A total of 425 offences were recorded in 2020, up from 173 in 2016. Cocaine possession ­offences rose 138 per cent, from 343 in 2016 to 816 in 2020. In three recent drug taskforce operations, 45kg of cocaine – with a street value of up to $18m – was seized and five accused commercial drug traffickers taken into custody.

One alleged trafficker was found in possession of 32kg of cocaine and 50kg of methamphetamine when caught in Melbourne’s northwest.

Police raided the 32-year-old’s Moonee Ponds home, seizing $1.58m cash, a luxury vehicle and more cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and 1-4 butanediol.

Last month the taskforce charged two men with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs after seizing 11kg of ­cocaine, 1.5kg of MDMA and 300g of methamphetamine in raids at Docklands and Kurunjang. A luxury car, firearm and $800,000 cash were also ­confiscated.

Historically, cocaine has been seen as a party drug less harmful than others. However, Det Insp Sullivan warned it was trafficked by the same syndicates that deal in far more addictive drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine, which cause enormous harm.

“It’s not like a boutique beer where the money is going to a microbrewery in Abbotsford. It’s going to organised crime figures who deal with methamphetamine, heroin and firearms, which can be linked to acts of significant violence.”

The latest National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre report revealed Victoria had the highest proportion of cocaine users in Australia, with 5.2 per cent of Victorians using it in 2019-20 – more than double the amount in 2016-17.