By Jackson Russell –
Mitchell police officers have charged 13 offenders with drug offences as well as seizing stolen firearms in a crime blitz.
Of the 13 people across the Mitchell police service area, offences included possession, cultivation or trafficking of a drug of dependence.
Two people were remanded as part of the drug crackdown.
Early last week, a warrant was executed on two houses where cannabis crops were found.
At a Seymour house on Wednesday, police found 21.5 grams of methamphetamine.
Mitchell Inspector Peter Koger said police intercepted vehicles, conducted searches and subsequently executed warrants on the address and located drugs.
“With less vehicles on the road, police are able identify vehicles more easily with less traffic,” he said.
“Because there are the five reasons to be out, unless you’re travelling for that, police will intercept and search and from that, police have been able to seize drugs.”
During one intercept, police were able to recover seven stolen firearms and prohibited weapons from a burglary in New South Wales.
Insp Koger applauded the work of members on secondment in the Mitchell Divisional Tasking Unit.
“The members resourcing the unit are from the Mitchell PSA stations on secondment and are doing a fantastic job executing warrants, locating drugs and firearms and making the community safer, breaking the supply chain and disrupting the dealers,” he said.
In another incident, three people were hospitalised from drug overdoses after an 18th birthday party in Broadford went wrong on May 2.
Insp Koger said that while at the party, which broke COVID-19 social distancing rules, three people consumed a mixture of tequila and GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate).
All three were taken to hospital by ambulance and were under observation for 24 hours.
Insp Koger said alcohol and GHB were a lethal combination.
“There is a bit of use of GHB within the community and when it’s mixed with alcohol, it becomes and lethal concoction that has fatal consequences,” he said.
“These patrons were very lucky that the ambulance attended, as they could’ve died as a result of that poisoning.”
