Two Craigieburn men have been charged following an investigation into the importation of border-controlled drugs by a Malaysian syndicate.
The joint three-month investigation involved members from Victoria Police’s Icarus and Trident Taskforces, Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Department of Home Affairs and Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Police said the investigation commenced after ABF officers working in air cargo and the International Mail Centre detected a number of suspicious consignments between April and September 2021.
The consignments were found to contain imported drugs including cocaine, heroin, ketamine and methamphetamines, according to police.
Search warrants were executed by police at two residential properties in Craigieburn and a business premises in Epping early on Tuesday morning.
Police said they seized a significant quantity of cash, illegal tobacco and a rolling machine, cartons of cigarettes, methylamphetamine, an imitation firearm, credit/debit cards in various names and a money counting machine, amongst various other items.
A 26-year-old Craigieburn man was charged with money laundering offences, bringing an imitation firearm into Victoria, possessing imitation firearm and possessing proceeds of crime.
A 39-year-old Craigieburn man was charged with money laundering and structuring offences, possessing a marketable quantity of border-controlled drug reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported, trafficking a controlled drug and possessing proceeds of crime.
Police will allege over $700,000 was remitted to accounts in Malaysia.
Anyone with information about illegal drug activity should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
