Seven men, including one from Cowra and four from Orange, have been charged, and more than 1.5 kilograms of prohibited drugs, as well as cash and ammunition, seized following investigations into the supply of illicit drugs in the Central West.
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Strike Force Pimm was established by officers attached to Central West Police District in January 2018 to investigate the supply of prohibited drugs in Orange and neighbouring towns.
Officers arrested three men in Orange on Tuesday and another a week ago in relation to the criminal activity.
A 19-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday at a home on Bletchington Street, with officers allegedly seizing ammunition and an amount of cocaine, cannabis and methamphetamine.
They don’t care about the person buying the product, just the dollars they can reap from perpetuating this miserable cycle of demand and supply.
- Central West Police District Commander Acting Superintendent Bruce Grassick
He was charged with 15 offences, including supplying prohibited drugs in commercial quantity, nine counts of supplying prohibited drugs in indictable quantities, and participating in a criminal group.
Also on Tuesday a 20-year-old man was charged with the same offences, while a 21-year-old man was arrested and faces charges for 25 offences, including 15 counts of supplying prohibited drugs in indictable quantities, four counts of supplying prohibited drugs in commercial quantities, and participating in a criminal group.
All three men were refused bail and will appear at Orange Local Court on Monday, April 8.
On Tuesday last week police arrested a 32-year-old man at a home in Diamond Drive.
He was taken to Orange Police Station where he was charged with 13 offences, including multiple counts of supplying prohibited drugs in indictable and commercial quantities, and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
He was refused bail and appeared at Orange Local Court on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s arrests follow three more in the region, two in Bathurst and another in Cowra.
Two men – aged 28 and 29 – were arrested by officers in Bathurst on Sunday, and charged with goods in custody and dealing with property proceeds of crime. They were both granted conditional bail to appear in Bathurst Local Court on Monday, March 11.
On Friday officers arrested a 21-year-old man in Cowra and charged him with possessing a prohibited drug, knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug, and participating in a criminal group. He was granted conditional bail to appear at Cowra Local Court on Friday, March 22.
Pimm officers have seized 242 grams of MDMA, 292.7 grams of MDA, 700.2 grams of methylamphetamine, 313 grams of cocaine and $25,000 cash.
To date, Pimm officers have seized 242 grams of MDMA, 292.7 grams of MDA, 700.2 grams of methylamphetamine, 313 grams of cocaine and $25,000 cash.
Central West Police District Commander Acting Superintendent Bruce Grassick said one of the top priorities for police was removing prohibited drugs from the streets and arresting those who seek to cash in on supplying these poisons to the community.
“As part of this ongoing commitment, officers from Central West Police District will continue to target the illegal drug trade at every level of the supply chain,” Acting Superintendent Grassick said.
“Methylamphetamine or ‘ice’, MDMA, and cocaine are concocted by criminal networks in some of the most revolting conditions, with absolutely no quality control.
“They don’t care about the person buying the product, just the dollars they can reap from perpetuating this miserable cycle of demand and supply.”
Acting Superintendent Grassick said the strike force had achieved “excellent results over the past 12 months” and asked anyone with further information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 immediately.
“The information you provide, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could save many lives,” he said.
Investigations under Strike Force Pimm are continuing.
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