Police have charged 47 people on 163 drugs and weapons offences as part of ongoing operations by the State Crime Command’s Drug and Serious Crime Group targeting the production and supply of cannabis across the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Capricornia districts.
In a week of proactive and co-ordinated operational activity commencing November 24, a series of search warrants were executed by the State Drug Squad as part of Operation Romeo Factor as well as by the Major and Organised Crime Squad (Rural) together with the Firearms and Cannabis Team and Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay Tactical Crime Squads as part of Operation Pine.
During the operations police executed 53 search warrants across properties from the Sunshine Coast to Gladstone, locating 18 kilograms of dried cannabis, 593 cannabis plants and 26 hydroponic systems actively being used in the production of cannabis.
Police also located and seized weapons (including 10 firearms), cannabis oil and products, $10,000 cash, and quantities of dangerous drugs.
The arrests included:
• A 52-year-old River Ranch man on six drug offence charges due to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court on December 16
• A 53-year-old River Ranch woman on six drug offence charges due to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court on December 16
• A 45-year-old Bargara man on six drug offence charges due to appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on January 13.
Detective Acting Superintendent Troy Pukallus of the Drug and Serious Crime Group said the operations have had a significant impact.
“These operations have removed drugs, weapons and cash out of the hands of criminal networks and reduced the supply and production of drugs in Queensland, making the community safer,” Detective Acting Superintendent Troy Pukallus said.
The estimated value of the cannabis and items seized throughout these operations to date is approximately $2.49 million.
Vision from the search warrants is available for download below:
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