By Charlene Macaulay
Drug taskforce detectives have smashed a significant organised crime syndicate after raids across Melbourne’s western and northern suburbs last week.
As part of Operation Kanji, police last Friday seized more than $10.6 million worth of drugs and arrested nine people after executing 13 search warrants across residential and commercial properties at Sunshine West, Braybrook and Preston.
Sunshine West men Huyen Pham, Quang Dong and Duc Nguyen, Cairnlea residents Thanh Dinh and Jimmy Phan, and Braybrook man Loc Tran were later charged with various drug offences and fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. A 35-year-old Preston man was also charged with possessing a firearm, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing methylamphetamine, and has been bailed to appear at court at a later date.
Amongst the haul were 2800 cannabis plants, 25 kilograms of dried cannabis, more than half a kilo of heroin, more than a kilo of ice and cocaine. Crime Command’s Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana said Operation Kanji had been targeting the distribution of commercial quantities of heroin, ice and cocaine, as well as large commercial quantities of cannabis, over the past four months.
Mr Fontana said among the properties raided were cannabis ‘grow houses’, which have the capacity to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit each crop.
“We now know this particular organisation is extremely well established and is involved in a range of commodities,” Mr Fontana said.
“Our investigation started off looking into this particular group for trafficking heroin, and we established they are allegedly involved in cannabis, ice and cocaine.
“Unfortunately, we have a high demand for these types of illicit drugs in Victoria,” he said.
“We see every day the impact these drugs have on the people who use them, their families and the entire community, and it’s a terrible toll.”
