Israeli crime link to Melbourne drug raids

Police raid properties in Ormond, Bentleigh East and Caulfield over a drug syndicate with suspected links to Israeli organised crime.

More arrests have been made in a major investigation into a drug syndicate with suspected links to Israeli organised crime.

Five people were detained today and search warrants executed as part of the second phase of operation Brandish, run by the Caulfield divisional response unit.

Three businesses and homes at Ormond and others at Bentleigh East, Carnegie and Caulfield were searched by officers probing large-scale ice and MDMA-trafficking in the southeastern suburbs.

A commercial quantity of what is believed to be MDMA, methylamphetamine, cocaine, cannabis and heroin as well as hallucinogenic mushrooms and thousands of dollars in cash and a firearm were seized.

Police searched businesses and homes at Ormond, Bentleigh East, Carnegie and Caulfield.

Police carry evidence from the scene of a drug raid in Ormond

The warrants were carried out at Ulupta Rd, Ormond, North Rd, Ormond, Baranni St, Bentleigh East, Glen Huntly Rd, Caulfield South, Woorayl St, Carnegie and Ormond Rd, Ormond.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and they expected to make more arrests.

Twenty people were arrested in August in the first phase of Brandish.

The Herald Sun revealed at the time that some of those arrested had links to Israeli organised crime.

Caulfield DRU officers were today assisted by other units including the Prahran and Dandenong DRU’s, the Bayside sexual offence and child abuse investigation team, crime scene services, the dog squad, the southern metro frontline tasking unit and the southern metro crime team.

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