Lalor man arrested as part of Operation Turret

A Lalor man has been arrested following the seizure of chemicals used to make the drug GHB last month.

The man, 24, was arrested by detectives from the North West Metro Regional Crime Squad at Melbourne Airport on Monday night.

He was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence and will appear at the Melbourne magistrates court today.

The arrest follows the execution of 30 search warrants across the north-western suburbs and Shepparton in the past four months as part of Operation Turret.

The operation has resulted in the seizure of more than 2100 litres of the chemical 1, 4-Butanediol, which is used to make GHB, and 12 firearms, and the arrest of 30 people.

North West Regional Crime Squad detective inspector Jamie Templeton said the investigation was ongoing.

“Police will continue to dismantle this drug syndicate that’s been operating across Victoria,” he said.

“The amount of Butanediol seized is substantial … if you break the volume down into individual doses you have in excess of one million doses. These doses equate to an estimated street value of $10 million.

“Operation Turret is still ongoing and we anticipate making further arrests in the near future.”

Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000