Bluey Cocaine bust: Cops discover children’s toy stashed with white powder
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Blue ‘cocaine’ shock: Police discover toys hidden with white powder during drug bust – while weapons are seized and four men arrested
- White powder suspected of cocaine discovered in children’s toys
- Four men charged after operation to supply illegal drugs
- Followed by a police operation in Batemans Bay, on the south coast of NSW
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Four men have been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine hidden in a ‘Bluey’ the blue heeler toy.
Police last month intercepted a package sent from Batemans Bay, in New South Wales, to Queensland, during which officers found white powder hidden in the toys of the international children’s show on the ABC.
Six homes on the south coast of NSW and ACT were subsequently raided in connection with the shocking discovery – in which officers seized firearms, ammunition, a hydraulic pill press and two poker machines.
Four men arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine hidden in a ‘Bluey’ plush toy (pictured)
Officers from Strike Force Wirrinda – a team set up to investigate the drug supply from the south of the state – first discovered the alleged drug ring last month.
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, South Coast Police raided four homes in Batemans Bay and reportedly discovered a cache of illegal paraphernalia.
Members of the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing’s Drugs and Organized Crime Team also visited homes in Braddon and Mitchell.
They reportedly recovered seven firearms, gel blasters, a replica pistol, a kilogram of tobacco, steroids, cannabis, a crystallized substance believed to be MDMA, a banned laser pointer and $1,600 cash.
Four men, aged between 23 and 45, were arrested and charged with a series of serious crimes.
Police intercepted a package sent from Batemans Bay to Queensland last month, during which officers found white powder hidden in the toys of the popular children’s show
Four men, aged between 23 and 45, were arrested on Wednesday (pictured) after police conducted four searches of homes across Batemans Bay and the ACT
The youngest, a 23-year-old man, was beaten with a long list of violations, including five counts of supplying a banned drug and participating in gang crime.
He got no bail.
Another man, 24, was beaten on seven counts of supplying a prohibited drug and possessing an unauthorized firearm. He was given conditional bail.
The 26-year-old man arrested at a home in Braddon, ACT, is the alleged leader of the group and charged with, among other things, knowingly/recklessly leading a criminal group.
He was extradited to Queanbeyan Police Station, where he was charged with four more offences. The man is a member of a criminal motorcycle gang.
Police have also arrested and charged a 45-year-old man from North Batemans Bay with a number of offenses related to illegal firearms, ammunition and possession of an unapproved slot machine. He was also given conditional bail.
Firearms (pictured) were seized by police during search warrants
Steroids (photo) were also seized from the houses by the police on Wednesday
The South Coast Police District crime manager said the arrests demonstrated the success of the newly appointed strike force in the region.
“This shows that we will use all available resources from both NSW and the ACT to disrupt and prevent crime,” Acting Superintendent Ian Griffin said.
“We will continue to work with ACT Policing to keep illegal substances off our streets and our communities.”