Cranbourne, VIC: Police smash dark web drug ring

Two people have been charged over their alleged involvement in a dark web drug trafficking scheme operating out of Melbourne’s outer southeastern suburbs.

Victoria Police’s Major Drug Squad launched an investigation in June after detecting more than 150 parcels containing illicit drugs, linked to a vendor operating on the dark web.

The dark web itself, put simply, is hidden internet content only accessible through specific software or network configurations, and is often used to conduct illegal online activities anonymously.

Officers on Wednesday raided properties in Cranbourne, Cranbourne North, and Narre Warren, near post boxes where the packages had allegedly been sent from.

A search of a property in Cranbourne turned up two guns, quantities of what’s believed to be LSD tablets, cannabis, THC gummies, cannabis resin, THC cookies, cannabis oil, and about $5000 in cash.

An Isuzu D Max ute was also seized.

While a search of a Narre Warren property found quantities of cannabis, LSD tablets, MDMA, cannabis resin, and THC cookies, as well as two cryptocurrency seeds and a small quantity of cash.

Cryptocurrency seeds, or recovery phrases, are a sequence of randomly-generated words which can recovery the digital currency on blockchains or crypto wallets.

As a result of the searches, a 42-year-old Cranbourne man was charged with trafficking large commercial quantity of LSD, trafficking commercial quantity of THC, trafficking cannabis, possess LSD, THC, and cannabis, and possess proceeds of crime, and is due in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A 39-year-old Narre Warren woman was charged with possess cannabis, MDMA, LSD, and THC, and possess proceeds of crime.

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She was bailed to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on June 11 next year.

While a 67-year-old Cranbourne North man was interviewed and released without charge.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or to make a report online.

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