Two men charged after cleaner springs alleged crime den

Two men have been charged after a cleaner came across a rental property allegedly being used as an organized crime “safe house”.

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

Approximately 1 kilogram of marijuana, 2 ounces of cocaine, $3,000 in cash, cell phones and electronic devices, and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle were seized.

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.

A cleaner found a significant amount of drugs, firearms, explosives and more than $2 million in cash at a Belle Vista address, police said.

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

Police will allege the property, which was rented for several weeks in January, was an organized crime drug and weapons depot “safe house”.

The Australian Defense Force and the Bomb Response Unit carried out controlled detonations to secure the incendiary devices.

Detective Inspector Jamie Walker said: “This was no ordinary drugs and cash seizure; there were incendiary devices, large quantities of firearms and illegal substances.”

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

The 29-year-old man, from St Albans, was charged with a number of offenses including trafficking in large commercial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, firearms trafficking and possession/trafficking of explosives.

He was taken into custody and appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

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

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

Police conducted several inquiries as part of the investigation.

A 19-year-old man from Hallam was interviewed in relation to booking a rental property and was released pending further investigation.

Detectives also located a white Toyota Camry rental vehicle that traveled to the address multiple times during the time it was rented.

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

At the time, police said the man captured in the footage did not rent the car, but they believed he could assist them with their investigation.

Police seized the vehicle on January 24 but it was later returned to the car rental company.