Melbourne: Tonne of cannabis linked to Albanian mafia seized

More than one tonne of cannabis believed to be linked to an Albanian organised crime syndicate has been seized in Melbourne’s northwest,

On Tuesday, five warrants were executed at homes in Taylors Hill, Greenvale, Taylors Lakes, Deer Park and Rockbank under an investigation into the syndicate’s involvement in the cultivation and trafficking of cannabis.

A 47-year-old Taylors Hill man, an Albanian national, and a 44-year-old Deer Park woman, a Colombian national, were both arrested.

Police will allege the 47-year-old man was the “ringleader” of the syndicate and have charged him with cultivating and trafficking large commercial quantities of cannabis and possessing proceeds of crime.

The 44-year-old woman is believed to be a “crop sitter”, someone who looks after the plants in the absence of the owner.

She was also charged with cultivating and trafficking a commercial quantity of cannabis.

The man was remanded and the woman bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 8, 2024.

Police seized more than 260 cannabis plants from the Taylors Lakes home, as well as about 185, 200 and 100 plants from the Deer Park, Rockbank and Greenvale properties respectively.

At a Taylors Hill home an electrical cable was found to be connected to an electrical substation under the property’s fence, while police also seized about $200,000 cash.

On Wednesday, a further 180 plants were found at another property in Keilor East, bringing the total amount of cannabis seized under the investigation to more than one tonne.

Such an amount has a street value of about $5m, according to police.

Viper Taskforce Detective Acting Inspector Leigh Howse said the tonne of cannabis was now on a “one-way ticket to being destroyed”.

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“We will not stop crippling organised crime entities determined to line their pockets through illicit means and ultimately, to the severe detriment of the rest of the community,” he said.

“Community tip-offs play a crucial role in any investigation – if you observe or hear any suspicious behaviour such as covering or blacking out windows, strong plant smells and unusual vehicle or pedestrian movement, please call police.”

The investigation remains ongoing and police have urged anyone with information about organised criminal or illicit drug activity to contact Crime Stoppers.

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