Patrick Duke arrested after drug raid on unit at Elouera Tower apartments Maroochydore

A Brisbane man has denied knowing meth was in his car after being arrested on the Sunshine Coast in an operation targeting drug trafficking between the Gold Coast and North Queensland.

Police raided an Elouera Tower apartment in Maroochydore looking for Patrick Michael Duke. Pictured is a generic photo of the apartment block. Picture: Sam Turner

A Fortitude Valley man has been arrested following a drug bust at a Sunshine Coast apartment complex where police allege a large amount of meth was found.

Patrick Michael Duke was taken into custody by police on Tuesday night during Operation Whiskey Yaniro, created to target drug trafficking from the Gold Coast to North Queensland.

Bail documents before Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Wednesday revealed the Sunshine Coast Tactical Crime Squad were staking out an apartment at the Elouera Tower Apartments at Maroochydore when they raided a unit searching for Duke.

The 54-year-old was not home however, two women were inside about 6pm on Tuesday and they were detained while detectives scoured the apartment.

Police allege they found 30g of meth underneath a bedroom drawer, a small bottle of 1,4-Butanediol which is used in the street drug GHB, along with five LSD tabs.

Duke appeared by video link in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he applied for bail. Picture: David Clark

Court documents state detectives continued to surveil the apartment when Duke emerged from the complex’s car park in a hired white Toyota Camry and pulled him over.

The 54-year-old was the only driver of the vehicle and had his car searched where police allegedly found 165g of marijuana, an amount of 1,4-Butanediol, along with 133g of meth, scales, a pipe, Viagra tablets and $1825 in cash.

He was charged with 15 offences including four counts of breaching bail, two of possessing drugs over the schedule and two of unlawful possession of a relevant substance.

Duty lawyer Michael Robinson applied for Duke’s bail in court on Wednesday, where he was instructed Duke did not know the drugs were allegedly in his car.

The court heard the drugs were allegedly under the driver’s seat and rear passenger’s seat.

“He didn’t know they were there, really?,” Magistrate Rod Madsen said bemused.

Mr Robinson also queried how the Nowra-born man was allegedly tied to the drugs found in the unit when only two women were there during the earlier raid.

The court heard Duke also allegedly breached his bail granted in the Brisbane Magistrates Court a number of times.

Duke’s bail was refused and had his matter adjourned to June 24.

Originally published as Patrick Duke arrested after drug raid on unit at Elouera Tower apartments Maroochydore