How Victoria’s coronavirus lockdown has caused drug prices skyrocket
The price of ice and cocaine across Victoria has skyrocketed after the closure of state and international borders with bikies turning to the mail system to try and distribute illicit drugs. Here’s how.
Police & Courts
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The price of ice and cocaine across Victoria has skyrocketed after the closure of state and international borders with bikies turning to the mail system to try and distribute illicit drugs.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit outlaw motorcycle gangs and other organised crime figures hard and forced them to come up with new ways to go about their illegal enterprises.
Australian Federal Police Southern Command Acting Commander Investigations Ray Imbriano said the pandemic had led to a major shortage of drugs across the state.
“The closure of international and state borders and the restricted movement within states has led to a scarcity of high-demand drugs, particularly methamphetamine and cocaine but it has not stopped organised crime syndicates such as outlaw motorcycle gangs from continuing their criminal offending,” he said.
“In some regions, the closing of domestic and international airports has led to a doubling of the street price of such drugs.”
Bikies are now going to extreme lengths to try and avoid the attention of police.
“Investigators have observed the efforts OMCG members have made to adapt to the changing environment; employing increased counter-surveillance measures and generally being extra vigilant in their movements and tactics to avoid law enforcement attention,” Cdr Imbriano said.
“The AFP and partners have noted an increase in the use of the mail system as one such means for distributing drugs during this time.”
Police are also concerned that a number of influential Australian bikie figures who had based themselves overseas have now returned to the country during the global pandemic.
“Australia’s stability and management of the pandemic has led to a small number of OMCG members, or persons of interest with long term links to OMCGs, returning to Australia after basing themselves offshore for a number of years,” Cdr Imbriano said.
“The AFP and partners will continue to monitor these individuals and assess their movements and intentions while they remain onshore.
“The AFP is also monitoring the domestic movements of outlaw OMCG members, with a number travelling between states in the past few months.”
One bikie figure to return to Australia recently is former Comancheros boss Jay Malkoun.
Last month the Herald Sun reported that Malkoun – once the Victorian supremo of the feared bikie gang – spent about a week in a Melbourne CBD apartment with a burly man, believed to be a minder.
The influential underworld figure arrived back in Australia in March after an absence of seven years and is basing himself interstate.
He appeared in good health on his trip, although his right leg is still in a medical brace and he uses crutches, the legacy of a car-bomb attempt on his life.
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