“A year-long operation targeting trafficking, manufacturing and large-scale distribution of illicit drugs culminated today with police storming 15 properties in South-East Queensland.Five people, including a 44-year-old Narangba man believed to be a prominent member of the Gold Coast drag-racing fraternity, were arrested.
The man was charged with producing the drug MDMA, growing cannabis and supplying amphetamines.Police also seized an estimated $6.1 million worth of cash and property, including six high-performance cars and five motorcycles. All the vehicles were seized from a property near Yatala, south of Brisbane.The raids were the third stage of Operation Golf Brazen, a joint investigation of the Queensland Police Service, Australian Crime Commission and the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission.Today, police seized four pill presses worth about $40,000 on the black market and capable of procuding 1000 pills per minute.They also found three hydroponic set-ups, 1825 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets, 80 grams of cocaine and $1 million in cash.Search warrants were executed on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and one in NSW.Since the operation began 12 months ago, 45 people have been arrested on 150 charges.ACC chief executive Alastair Milroy said the operation had made a dent in a crime syndicate operating across three states, which also included Western Australia.“We believe the drugs were predominantly distributed on the eastern seaboard of Australia,” he said. “We are very pleased to have dismantled this network.”The CMC used its star chamber powers to elicit information from persons of interest, said acting Chief Superintendent Ian Parsons.“Our investigators have provided crucial expertise in identifying assets bought with the proceeds of crime.”
The 44-year-old man was due to face Brisbane Magistrates Court today.”
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