Neighbours say ‘something wasn’t right’ about Port Melbourne couple accused of cooking meth
A Port Melbourne couple at the centre of major drug trafficking allegations had a taste for designer clothes and fancy cars.
Police & Courts
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A $13 million stash of cash and a stockpile of drugs have allegedly been seized in major Melbourne police raids after a year long investigation.
Three labs described by police as sophisticated were found on Wednesday as clandestine lab squad detectives moved on addresses in Port Melbourne and Brunswick as part of operation Bannockburn.
Port Melbourne couple Kayla Rezuk, 29, and Baris Goktas, 32, were charged with a string of drug trafficking offences on Friday and have been remanded in custody until February next year.
The alleged cash haul at their three bedroom Turville Place rented townhouse was one of the largest made by organised crime investigators in Melbourne in recent history.
Investigators also allegedly seized two vehicles, a pill press, a handgun, a substantial quantity of glassware and precursor chemicals.
Commander Mick Frewen of Victoria Police crime command said it appeared not to be an amateur operation.
“Low-level backyard dealers generally don’t manufacture drugs and have $13 million as an aggregate in their possession,” he said.
“They don’t have multiple lab locations. They don’t have the means or sophistication to import glassware and import chemicals.”
The Turville Place lab had been operating for some time, police believe.
It was directly behind a roller door, creating what Mr Frewen described as “extreme danger”.
The volatile nature of such manufacturing created risk for nearby residents and foot traffic passing just metres from the centre of production.
Neighbours said the pair had moved into the property in December last year and raised eyebrows when they installed CCTV cameras.
“Something wasn’t right, it was all a bit weird,” one neighbour said.
“There was a lot of strange activity, a lot of people coming and going at all hours of the day. Sometimes up to 20 times a day.
“No one would go out at normal working hours. I didn’t get the impression they had normal jobs.”
The couple owned luxury vehicles including a Mercedes-AMG and were often seen wearing high-end designer accessories.
Rezuk previously worked as a yoga instructor in Berwick and had a penchant for Louis Vuitton handbags and luggage.
Goktas – who used the alias of Barry – told neighbours he was a panel beater and in January had registered a business named Sippy Bean.
Another neighbour said the duo “kept to themselves”.
“The lights were always on at night, we always wondered what they were up to,” the neighbour said.
“It is textbook – they wore Adidas tracksuits, sneakers, gold chains and Louis Vuitton bum bags.
“We knew something was up, but the scale has shocked us. It is pretty full on.”
They have both been charged with knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, traffic large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, traffic a drug of dependence (commercial quantity), traffic a commercial quantity of cocaine, possess/carry/use unregistered general category handgun, and posses a substance, material, document or equipment for traffic.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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