By Laura Michell
A Greenvale man is among eight people charged as part of an investigation into an alleged drug trafficking syndicate.
Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force executed search warrants at properties in Caroline Springs, Aberfeldie, Greenvale, Hillside and Kew on September 12, arresting six people.
A man and a woman were also arrested by police in Caroline Springs on September 11. Police allege that a number of items including cash, drugs and stolen vehicles were seized during the raids.
All eight have been charged and remanded in custody to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 31.
Police said the charges are part of a 10-month investigation into the importation of border-controlled substances and large commercial level trafficking in Victoria.
A Greenvale man, 21, has been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of a drug of dependency, trafficking cocaine, importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled precursor and criminal damage by fire.
A 27-year-old Caroline Springs man, a 25-year-old Caroline Springs woman, a 20-year-old Aberfeldie man, a 30-year-old Hillside man, a 32-year-old Reservoir man, and two Kew men aged 30 were also charged.
Echo Taskforce Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Lloyd said the arrests showed police were working to disrupt criminal activities.
Police and Australian Border Force have previously made a number of seizures as part of the investigation, including 1.975 tonnes of 1,4 butanediol; 100 kilograms of P2P, a pre-cursor chemical used in the manufacture of methyl-amphetamine and amphetamine; and more than 100kg of ketamine and analogue narcotics, which mirror the effects of amphetamine-based substances.
