AFP charges four in Western Australia over meth trafficking
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Australian Federal Police have charged four people after seizing eight kilograms of methamphetamine during an investigation into a suspected Vietnamese drug trafficking syndicate in Perth.
The four charged are expected to face Perth Magistrate’s Court again this afternoon (21 May 2021).
AFP officers were monitoring a Noranda home on Monday (17 May 2021) when they saw a utility arrive at the property and the driver reverse into the driveway.
Two men came out of the house and unloaded a package from the back of the ute before the vehicle drove away.
Police later searched the Noranda property and seized three kilograms of methamphetamine, which they will allege had been supplied by the driver of the utility.
Two men who had been at the home, aged 33 and 35, have each been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 302.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
Police followed the utility to a residence in Ashfield, where the driver met another man who unloaded a cardboard box from the vehicle and placed it in a rubbish bin at the neighbouring property.
Investigators later searched the bin and allegedly found five kilograms of methamphetamine in a cardboard box.
The utility driver, a 50-year-old man, and the 44-year-old Ashfield resident have also each been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 302.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
All four men were refused police bail and briefly faced court on Tuesday (18 May), where they were remanded in custody. All four are expected back in Perth Magistrate’s Court this afternoon (21 May 2021).
Trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug carries a potential maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Investigations into the source of the drugs and any links between the men are ongoing.
AFP Commander John Tanti said the AFP is working tirelessly to identify anyone involved in the illicit drug trade and stop them from distributing harmful substances in the WA community.
“These arrests should serve as a warning that the AFP is watching and we are not going to let drug traffickers profit at the expense of our communities,” he said.
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