Mackay’s biggest drug busts of 2021 reveal seedy crime underbelly
Drug arrests in the region reveal what police believe is a seedy underbelly of crime permeating the streets of Mackay to Eton bushland. Watch the videos of the region’s biggest raids.
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Drug arrests in the region reveal what police believe is a seedy underbelly of crime stretching from Mackay’s quiet suburbs to rural Eton bushland.
Here are some of Mackay’s biggest drug arrests for the year so far.
ETON
The footage from police body-worn cameras show a rugged chase on foot through Eton’s bushland after a rural property was searched on June 3.
The chase lead police through a barb-wire fence and multiple neighbouring properties before a 44-year-old man was arrested.
A search of the Kinchant Dam Rd property allegedly uncovered an array of drugs.
The search allegedly found:
- 10.77g of methamphetamine
- 182g of marijuana
- 0.4g of cocaine
- $540 in cash
- Nunchucks
YALBOROO
Police say 2kg of drug-laced gummy bears were just the tip of the iceberg in a high-visibility Bruce Highway roadside operation.
Operation Mackay Fraser was set up to target impaired drivers at Yalboroo near the Happy Daze festival that took place from May 28 til May 30.
But police claim the operation revealed more than just dangerous driving with searches of vehicles allegedly uncovering a wide array of drugs.
Mackay Tactical Crime Squad officer and operation lead Senior Sergeant Scott Ingram said there was at least one offender charged for supply and trafficking of dangerous drugs.
The search allegedly found:
- Two kilograms of drug-laced gummy bears
- Drug-laced baked goods
- LSD
- Ketamine
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
WHITSUNDAYS
Whitsunday police had a busy Thursday on May 6 when they carried out five search warrants in a single day uncovering a whopping $43,000 in cash.
Police claim a significant amount of drugs were found in the properties and a 22-year-old Airlie Beach man was arrested on nine charges.
The search allegedly found:
- 22kg of marijuana
- 41g of methamphetamine
- 89g of cocaine
- $43,000 in cash
- A taser
BLACKS BEACH
Police got more than they bargained for when they went looking for a wanted person in a Blacks Beach house on May 4.
Officers entered the Warrilla View property for a wanted person inquiry and allegedly stumbled across drugs, $15,000 cash and a fully functional gun.
A 34-year-old woman was charged in relation to the findings.
Mackay Criminal Investigation Branch Officer-in-charge Jack Savage at the time said inquiries were being made into how the woman came to possess the cash and whether commercial elements were at play.
The search allegedly found:
- A fully functional gun
- Multiple rounds of ammunition
- 3g methamphetamine
- Small quantity of marijuana
- $15,000 cash
- Power tools
- Car registration plates
WEST MACKAY
Police say a raid on a West Mackay house uncovered almost $200,000 stuffed inside a mattress and an array of illicit drugs and stolen property.
Police searched the Landsdowne Rd house in a Saturday blitz on April 24 resulting in four Mackay men, one Sarina man, and one woman from Mt Jukes being charged.
The search allegedly found:
- $186,000 in cash
- 24g of methylamphetamine
- 6g marijuana
- A white 2003 Subaru Liberty reported to be stolen from Cairns
- Prescription medication
- Drug utensils
NORTH MACKAY
Drugs, weapons, fireworks and stolen property were among the illegal paraphernalia allegedly found at a North Mackay house.
Mackay detectives searched the Canberra St property on April 14 where a 28-year-old man was charged with multiple offences.
The search allegedly found:
- Methylamphetamine
- $20,000 in cash
- A rifle and ammunition
- A red Honda motorbike reported stolen in a break and enter in Blacks Beach
- Drug utensils
- Fireworks
ILBILBIE
A mammoth 800 marijuana plants were seized after a raid on an Ilbilbie property on February 17.
An unlikely trio comprising a 65-year-old man, a 40-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy was charged after the search on the Schirmers Rd property.
Police also allegedly found and seized a number of items they suspect were used for tending the large crop.
The search allegedly found:
- 800 marijuana plants
- Two firearms
- ATV buggy, quad bike, generators, water tanks, pumps and other items used for tending the crop
BLACKS BEACH
Mackay’s first drug bust of the year dismantled an alleged marijuana production network in Blacks Beach.
Constable Josh Sleep said police were acting on intelligence which led them to the Whitehaven Dr property on January 21.
The operation was allegedly set up inside a house where 12 marijuana plants were reaching maturity.
Police also seized materials which it alleges could be used to grow more than 100 additional plants.
The search allegedly found:
- 12 marijuana plants
- Materials to grow more than 100 additional marijuana plants
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