Major Cairns drug bust leads to seven arrests, 142 charges
Body-worn footage has captured a major drug bust in Cairns, resulting in the arrest of seven people on more than 100 charges and uncovering $50,000 in cash, knives and drug paraphernalia. Watch the video.
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Body-worn footage has captured a major drug bust in Cairns, resulting in the arrest of seven people on more than 100 charges and uncovering $50,000 in cash, knives and drug paraphernalia.
Police seized a range of drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and methamphetamine during the raid on Friday, November 22.
About $50,000 in cash was also uncovered as well as electronic devices, knives, drug paraphernalia and two firearms.
Police allege seven people were involved, six of whom have been charged with a collective 142 counts as a result of the Operation Uniform Cambria.
Far Northern Major and Organised Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Brad Grace said the operation was an example of the “relentless” work by several police units to remove drugs from the streets.
“We will continue to target those people posing a threat to the community by allegedly supplying illicit substances and firearms,” he said.
Video shows the officers searching a cluttered bedroom before locating a number of guns, money and drugs, which were then lined up on the bed to be photographed and bagged for evidence.
Operation Uniform Cambria ran from early August 2024 with the final arrest being made Friday, November 22.
A total of eight search warrants were carried out during this time, in Edmonton, White Rock and Bungalow.
Detectives from the Far Northern MOCS along with officers from the Cairns and Smithfield Criminal Investigation Branches and Cairns Tactical Crime Squad worked together during the sting.
Among those charged on November 22, was a 40-year-old Edmonton man, arrested and charged with 97 offences including, 77 counts of supply dangerous drugs, four counts of trafficking dangerous drugs, three counts of possessing dangerous drugs (schedule 2 drug exceeding schedule 3), and one count of unlawful possession of weapons category A, B OR M.
A 35-year-old Edmonton woman was charged with one count each of possessing dangerous drugs (schedule 1 drug quantity of or exceeding Schedule 3 but less than schedule 4), offence to possess schedule 4 medicines and contravening order about information necessary to access information stored electronically.
Both are due to appear before Cairns Magistrates Court on February 28, 2025.
Additionally a 32-year-old Edmonton man was charged and remanded in custody, with one count each of possessing dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of weapons category D/H/R, possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence, contravening order about information necessary to access information stored electronically, possess utensils or pipes for use, firearms to be kept unloaded other than when being used to shoot, and authority to possess explosives.
A 37-year-old Edmonton man was charged with four counts of possessing dangerous drugs, one count each of possessing dangerous drugs schedule 1 drug quantity of or exceeding schedule 3 but less than schedule 4, offences to possess S4 medicines, unlawful possession of a category H weapon, unlawful possession of a category R weapon, authority required to possess explosives and possess anything used in the commission of a crime.
Both are due to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on December 16.
Further charges were laid after a 46-year-old Portsmith man was arrested.
He is charged with two counts of possessing dangerous drugs, and one count each of possessing dangerous drugs schedule 1 drug quantity of or exceeding schedule 3 but less than schedule 4, and possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence and will appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on January 10.
A 40-year-old White Rock man was charged with one count of contravening order about information necessary to access information stored electronically and will appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on December 6.
A 26-year-old Edmonton woman was issued a drug warning for possession of dangerous drugs.
The latests arrests come after police charged six people in a previous, separate raid on a Mooroobool property on November 3.
Drugs and cash were also seized during Operation Whiskey Oaklands, which launched in May across multiple locations, including Tully, Cairns, Innisfail, and Hervey Bay.
More than $130,000 in cash, cocaine and steroids were collected.
Among those arrested were Cairns couple, Zane Mccloskey, 29, and Dayna Maree Harvey, 29 who now face drug trafficking charges.
Detective Senior Sergeant Grace said he urged the community to remain vigilant.
“Continue to report any suspicious behaviour to authorities,” he said.
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