Eleven charged over drugs
POLICE have formally charged 11 people suspected of serious drug offences, following a large drug sting across the Granite Belt.
A series of raids led by the Stanthorpe Police uncovered guns and more than $250,000 worth of marijuana as part of a five-month mission known as Operation Mike Colbalt.
Police seized two pistols, one with a silencer, and 36 marijuana plants at properties near Sugarloaf, The Summit, Mt Tully and Severnlea. Charges include multiple counts of drug and firearm possession and drug production, with the most serious drug charges falling with a 30-year-old Stanthorpe man.
A 58-year-old Sugarloaf man was charged with three offences relating to the possession of firearms and ammunition.
The busts culminated in a two-day operation last week with the co-operation of special drug enforcement teams from Brisbane and the QPS's helicopter POLAIR One.
Head of the operation Detective Sergeant Damian Grace said 13 search warrants had been executed since November 2014, resulting in 11 arrests and 27 charges.
"Some of them have already faced court," he said.
"A majority of them will face court on April 22nd."
Stanthorpe Police's Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Mark Ireland said the operation was designed to detect and deter drug production in the region.
