UPDATE: Police have arrested 14 people and smashed a sophisticated heroin trafficking syndicate in raids on nine residential properties including homes in Footscray, Braybrook and Sunbury.
Caulfield Divisional Response Unit executed the warrants on Thursday morning as part of the eight-month Operation Isoleucine investigation into a multi-milliondollar organised drug trafficking syndicate.
The syndicate was allegedly manufacturing $1 million worth of heroin every month.
Searches are continuing. However, police have already uncovered a significant amount of cash, white powder believed to be heroin and equipment used for drug manufacturing.
Police have arrested three Braybrook women aged 26, 27 and 60 years, a 36-year-old Footscray woman and a 59-year-old Sunshine North woman as well as arrests in Thornbury, Mentone, Richmond, Fitzroy and Flemington.
Southern Metropolitan Division Two Superintendent Ross Guenther said the arrests would keep millions of dollars’ worth of heroin from hitting the streets.
“We believe this syndicate was manufacturing approximately $250,000 worth of heroin a week,” he said.
“Make no mistake, these people have been running this like a business, every day, turning over huge amounts of money, at the expense of our community.”
Police also located a safe house in Footscray used by the syndicate to conduct their business and prepare the heroin for sale.
“We will be seizing properties; assets including prestige motor vehicles, as well as restraining accounts were it appears profits are held as a result of this drug enterprise,” Superintendent Guenther said.
Police seized two Mercedes, one Lexus, one Audi, a brand new Toyota Corolla and a scooter and a motorcycle from a home in Braybrook as part of the operation.
The investigation involved police from the Drug Taskforce, Critical Incident Response Team, Victoria Police and AFP Dog Squad, Mill Park and Melbourne Divisional Response Units, Kingston and Bayside Crime Investigation Units and Glen Eira, Kingston and Brimbank Divisional Tasking Units.
“It is because of this assistance and the co-ordinated response we have been able to reveal the full extent of this criminality,” Superintendent Guenther said.
It is expected that those arrested will face charges relating to trafficking a large commercial quantity of heroin and will front court later on Thursday.
