Criminal racket busted
IF you’ve had a vehicle or work tools stolen recently Gold Coast police might have found them.
Police believe they busted a criminal syndicate involved in a $1.4 million drug and stolen property racket after 15 raids on the northern end of the city in the past week.
The six-month ‘Operation Moonshot’ investigation, which culminated with raids at Alberton yesterday, has seen 55 people arrested. Police netted more than $600,000 worth of drugs, $500,000 worth of stolen vehicles and $300,000 worth of stolen power tools.
Two pill presses capable of producing hundreds of pills a minute were found along with six cars, six jet skis, five boats, 13 trailers, five trail bikes and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The 55 people, part of what police allege form an unnamed criminal group, face 133 charges.
Raids took place at properties from Alberton to Worong goods, ary. It included one raid at Zipfs Road, Alberton yesterday morning where more than $100,000 worth of stolen drugs and guns were uncovered. A team of at least two dozen police spent the morning scouring the rural property removing stolen goods.
Gold Coast Criminal Investigation Bureau Northern Group Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said he could not comment on how the group sold the equipment on to make money because the matter was before the courts.
But he said police were inspecting the stolen goods and working out a way to return them to owners.
“All of that property is currently under observation by us and we will return property to owners if it can be properly identified,” Det Insp Thompson said.
“Going forward we will release information as to how people can pick up property if it has been stolen in burglaries.”
Det Insp Thompson said police believe many of the 55 men and women arrested worked together.
“We will be alleging a significant number of these people will be engaging in an organised crime syndicate or a crime group,” he said.
“There was a network of people involved in trafficking and supplying drugs between themselves and other people.
“And they were very well engaged in moving and receiving stolen property.”
Police from the Taskforce Latro West property crime division were called to the Alberton address yesterday to execute search warrants.