More clout needed to get drug couriers

QUEENSLAND police are keenly watching the success of WA cops using beefed-up laws to intercept ice couriers distributing drugs along that state’s isolated highways.

Frustrated WA police were last year given extra powers to declare entire sections of highways as nominated “drug routes” for up to two weeks, allowing them to search any vehicle travelling in the area.

Queensland Drug Squad boss Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker (above) said police in Queensland had to prove reasonable suspicion before searching a vehicle.

However, even with perfect intelligence, they are often searching for a needle in a haystack as drug couriers exploit the state’s thousands of kilometres of highways and 3300km land border, which is crisscrossed by thousands of roads and tracks.

Goondiwindi alone has 27 border crossing points, making it almost impossible to intercept couriers who are constantly changing their vehicles and routes.

“Other states have introduced declared route legislation where police have the power to stop, detain and search, particularly in remote areas, which is proving very successful,” Det Supt Wacker said.

In one case, Queensland police fed intelligence to their counterparts in NSW, who intercepted a car near Newcastle. Police were close to allowing the driver to go when an officer picked up two packets of seemingly unopened chips.

The bags were heavier than expected and allegedly contained 1kg of meth and 1kg of heroin.

When the laws were introduced in WA, the then police minister Liza Harvey said legislation was needed to help officers detect meth being distributed through the regional road network and postage system. WA police said they could not provide statistics about how often police had used the powers.