Geelong police seize Colac drug lab, two men charged
Police have helped locate and seize a bikie linked drug lab west of Geelong, with two men facing a slew of charges.
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Police from Geelong have helped locate and seize a bikie linked drug lab in Colac, with two men facing a number of charges.
Two men, one a former patched member of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG), were charged after detectives from the Clandestine Laboratory Squad located a lab in Colac on Tuesday.
Assisted by the Geelong Divisional Response Unit, Colac Uniform members, Disaster Victim Identification team and a forensic chemist, search warrants for three residential and a business address were in Colac were executed on Wednesday.
William Armstrong, a 49-year-old Colac man police say is an ex-Hells Angel, was arrested by Victoria Police’s elite Special Operations Group (SOG) shortly after 10am.
After an interview with police, he was charged with a number of offences including, possessing articles to manufacture drugs, trafficking methylamphetamine and possessing a prohibited weapon, among others.
Mr Armstrong was taken into custody and appeared in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He did not apply for bail, and will next face court for a committal mention on August 12.
Police seized a packed down drug lab from his address, which included glassware, equipment and precursor chemicals, 25 kgs of sodium sulfate and a small quantity of poison among other chemicals.
At the same property was a large amount of Hells Angels memorabilia, meth and cannabis, cash and a taser.
Another 55-year-ol Colac man was also charged with two counts of drug possession.
He was bailed to appear at Colac Magistrates’ Court on 26 June.
Small quantities of meth and cannabis were seized from his address.
A 39-year-old Colac man was interviewed and released pending further inquiries.
In 2023, three men from a Victorian crime syndicate were arrested over Australia’s largest seizure of ketamine just out of Geelong.
A total of 174kg of ketamine with an estimated value of $6.9 million was uncovered as part of the major Australian Federal Police operation over two days.
An Altona man, 37, a Sunshine North man, 33, and a Hoppers Crossing man, 32, were arrested late on Tuesday at Lara, near Geelong, as part of an inquiry by AFP transnational serious and organised crime investigation officers.
The AFP said the drug was allegedly concealed in tubs of liquid cement which arrived from Spain on June 26.
Anyone with information about illicit drug activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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Originally published as Geelong police seize Colac drug lab, two men charged
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