By Vanessa Chircop
TWO men have been arrested following three drug raids in Hobsons Bay last week.
Three warrants were executed last Monday at two residential addresses in Newport and one in Altona North.
Sergeant Gary Wilson from Altona North Police said about half a dozen cannabis plants and a decent amount of dried material were seized during the raids.
Sgt Wilson said the arrests followed a tip-off from the public coupled with a short investigation by police.
A Newport man in his forties was charged with drug trafficking and cultivation – he was granted bail and will appear at the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on 2 June.
A second man in his thirties from Altona North was released on summons.
Sgt Wilson said he was very happy with the result of the raids.
“We’d like to thank the members of the public for their assistance,” he said.
Hobsons Bay Inspector Bill Mathers said he hoped the arrests would send a strong message to the community that police were actively pursuing people who dealt in drugs.
He said drugs were a menace to the community and often resulted in other crimes.
“We’ve found residential burglaries are often fuelled by drug problems.”
The most recent crime statistics indicated an increase in drug-related offences by 13.6 per cent.
Insp Mathers said the increase was a result of the extra work police had been doing to tackle drug problems in Hobsons Bay.
“Raids can make the stats go up and are a result of the time and effort we’ve put in.
“We’ll continue to target drug traffickers and look forward to the support of the community.”
Sgt Wilson has urged anyone with any further information about this crime or any other crimes to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
