Factual. Independent. Impartial.
Support AAP with a free or paid subscription
General
Nick Wilson

Two men charged after cleaner springs alleged crime den

Two men have been charged after police found explosives, firearms, drugs and cash at a rental house. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Two men have been charged after a cleaner stumbled upon a rental property used as an alleged organised crime "safe house".

The pair, aged 27 and 29, were arrested on Wednesday after Victoria Police executed two search warrants at residential properties in the Melbourne suburbs of Point Cook and St Albans.  

About one kilogram of cannabis, two ounces of cocaine, $3000 in cash, mobile phones and electronic devices and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle were seized.

A man is arrested after drugs, cash, firearms and explosives were found at a rental in Melbourne. (SUPPLIED/Vic Police)

It comes almost four months after police were called to a short-term rental at Keilor East, in Melbourne's northwest, on the morning of January 24. 

Police say a cleaner stumbled upon a significant amount of drugs, firearms, explosives and more than $2 million in cash at the Belle Vista address. 

Police seized at least 100kg of cocaine and methylamphetamine, with a street value of $25m, at the address.

The property, which had been rented for several weeks in January, was an organised crime drug and weapons cache "safe house", police will allege. 

The Australian Defence Force and Bomb Response Unit carried out controlled detonations to render the incendiary devices safe.

“This was not a run-of-the-mill seizure of drugs and cash - there were incendiary devices and large quantities of firearms and illicit substances," Detective Inspector Jamie Walker said.

“Victoria Police has zero tolerance for illicit drugs being brought into our community and will continue to hold offenders to account.”

Victoria Police tape
“This was not a run-of-the-mill seizure of drugs and cash," Detective Inspector Jamie Walker says. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

The 29-year-old, from St Albans, was charged with a raft of offences including trafficking large commercial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, trafficking firearms and possessing/trafficking explosives. 

He was remanded in custody and appeared before Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. 

The 27-year-old Point Cook man was charged with trafficking cocaine, possessing cocaine, trafficking cannabis, possessing cannabis and possessing proceeds of crime. 

He was bailed to appear at Wyndham Magistrates' Court on June 11. 

Police pursued several lines of inquiry as part of their investigation. 

A 19-year-old man from Hallam was interviewed regarding the rental property booking and was released pending further inquiries. 

Detectives also identified a white Toyota Camry hire vehicle that travelled to the address multiple times while it was rented. 

Police previously released CCTV vision of a man filling up the car at a service station on the Western Ring Road in Ardeer South on December 25.

The man captured in the footage did not hire the car, police said at the time, but they believed he might have been able to assist them with their investigations.

Police seized the car on January 24 but it has since been returned to the hire company. 

License this article

Sign up to read this article for free
Choose between a free or paid subscription to AAP News
Start reading
Already a member? Sign in here
Top stories on AAP right now