WA Police seize illicit drugs worth more than $15m and over $385,000 cash after a series of Perth drug busts

WA Police have seized 45kg of cocaine and 7kg of methamphetamine — with a combined street value of more than $15 million — and more than $385,000 in cash during several major drug busts across the city. Police revealed on Monday that four men had been charged with 20 offences after they executed eight separate search warrants at properties and vehicles in Beeliar, Maylands, Landsdale, Bayswater and Leederville in December. Drugs and firearms officers said the seizures represented a major disruption to organised crime networks, which were going to extreme lengths to hide illicit substances. “This is a clear message that illicit drugs will not be tolerated and we will remain committed to targeting anyone involved in the supply and distribution of drugs,” Det. Sen. Sgt Andy Baker, from the transnational serious and organised crime squad, said. Drug and firearm squad detectives arrested a 30-year-old man after allegedly discovering 1kg of cocaine during a traffic stop on Leach Highway, Welshpool, about 11.10am on December 2. The man, from Beeliar, was charged with seven offences including possessing of prohibited drugs with intent to supply or sell. He is due to face court in January. Further inquiries led officers to search a property on Firbank Road, Beeliar, where they allegedly seized 3kg of meth, more than $92,000 in cash, cocaine and other illicit drugs. Later that day, officers searched a business on Division Street, Welshpool, and a home on Ferguson Street, Maylands, where they allegedly uncovered 28.5kg of cocaine buried under a slab. Shocking bodycam vision shows officers digging with shovels, before pulling out out several parcels from underneath a concrete slab. In a separate video, officers can be seen discovering an illicit substance concealed in a cooler bag inside a wardrobe. Officers also allegedly found illegally owned prescription drugs and 1,4-Butanediol, which is commonly known as ‘bute’ and is used as a source of the illicit drug GBH. Police arrested a 37-year-old man after this search. He was charged with possessing prohibited drugs with intent to supply or sell, possession of certain substances or things and unlawfully possessing a contained prescription drug. The man will front court in January. An hour later, police searched a home on Dorneywood Road, Landsdale, where they allegedly seized 15kg of cocaine, 350g of heroin and more than $23,000 in cash. A 33-year-old man was arrested and charged with possessing prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply, one count of supplying a prohibited drug and one count of being in possession of stolen or obtained property. He is due to appear in court in April. In a separate investigation, officers charged a 28-year-old man after allegedly discovering about 1kg of meth and more than $4500 while searching his car on Katanning Street, Bayswater, on December 10. Police also searched an industrial unit on the same street, and a home on Carr Street, Leederville, where they allegedly found a handgun, 3kg of meth and $265,000 in cash. The Leederville man was charged with five offences, including two counts of possessing a trafficable quantity of meth with intent to supply or sell. He will appear in court in April. Det. Sen. Sgt. Baker said illicit drugs and firearms would “not be tolerated”. He said there were no indications the seized drugs were linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs, and said further arrests could be made in connection to the seizures. “These seizures represent a major disruption to organised crime networks, and reinforces our message to anyone who engages in illicit organised criminal activity: You can expect to be caught,” he said. “It’s firearms in the hands of criminals that put us all at risk, and preventing this is a must focus for WA Police, and always will be.” Det. Sen. Sgt. Baker described the seizures as “very significant” and said criminals were going to extreme lengths to hide illicit substances. “These drugs right in front of us were … amongst the community here, ready to cause that harm, and we’re particularly proud of the fact that those have been seized,” he said. “Organised criminal groups know that we’re onto them, so they’ll take these steps to try to hide them to try and avoid apprehension by police. “We’re seeing drugs concealed in furniture, all sorts of things like that, around premises, buried in gardens ... so they’ll go to any sorts of lengths to try and hide it from us.”