NSW: Police smash truckie speed racket.

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2000
NSW: Police smash truckie speed racket.

New South Wales police have shut down an outback speed lab used to cook massive quantities
of the banned stimulant for interstate truckies.

Six men and a woman including several long-haul drivers have been arrested and charged
with a series of offences in conjunction with today's bust.

Detectives allege the syndicate was capable of manufacturing a $2 million batch of
methyl-amphetamines -- commonly known as speed -- every 12 hours.

Equipment used to extract the derivative stimulant pseudoephedrine and a quantity of
freshly cooked speed was seized at Peak Hill, near Parkes, in the state's west.

Police say a $100,000 stash of the same drug was also recovered from a semi-trailer
travelling through the ACT.

In a third raid, up to $500,000 worth of speed was recovered from a secondary lab in
the Queensland town of Eumundi.

Acting Crime Agencies Commander ROD HARVEY says the bust is the result of a three-month
investigation by Strike Force Rantis and has successfully shut down a major syndicate.

Strike Force head, Superintendent KEN MACKAY, says evidence suggests a substantial
number of long-haul trucks were involved in the distribution of the drugs.

AAP RTV jk/nf/jn

KEYWORD: DRUGS (SYDNEY)

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