Police say two separate investigations into the ongoing supply of cocaine in the Byron Bay area have led to charges against seven men.
Officers say the investigations have been going since October last year and culminated in four search warrants on April 22 in the Byron Shire.
They say they found around 340 grams of cocaine, more than $25,000 cash and other proceeds of crime at a Byron Bay business and homes in Byron Bay, Bangalow and Mullumbimby.
Three 30-year-old men were reportedly arrested at a Bangalow property, with one facing charges over seventeen drug-related offences, while police say the other two were charged with supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug.
One of the men was refused bail and was due to appear at Byron Bay Local Court on May 10; another is due to appear on May 24; while the third is due to appear June 21.
Meanwhile, police arrested a 32-year-old man and two 44-year-old men in a Mullumbimby home and charged them with at least twenty-six offences between them including supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and participating in a criminal group.
All three were due to face Byron Bay Local Court on Monday May 10.
A 26-year-old man was also arrested as part of the raid and charged with three offences.
He was granted conditional bail to appear at Byron Bay Local Court on Monday 24 May 2021.
Northern Region Operations Manager, Detective Acting Superintendent Greg Thomas APM, said the arrests will impact the availability of illicit drugs on the streets of Byron Bay.
‘The Far North Coast is continually becoming increasingly popular with domestic tourists, and it is our job to ensure locals and visitors feel safe in our holiday towns,’ Acting Superintendent Thomas said via a police media statement.
‘These arrests continue to disrupt the supply chain of cocaine and other illicit substances to the Far North Coast community, and we will continue to put those who wish to introduce harmful substances before the courts,’ he said.
Officers says investigations into the drug ring are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police.
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