Blitz nets drug dealers, burglars
A police crackdown on suburban drug dealers and offenders committing crimes to feed their drug habits in Perth's north has resulted in more than 60 people charged.
Clarkson detectives ran Operation Evolution over three weeks last month and this month to stop, detect and apprehend criminals responsible for offences such as burglary and stealing.
Detectives searched homes in the northern outskirts of Perth, uncovering drugs, firearms and stolen items.
A total of 64 people were charged with 153 offences.
Police laid 43 drug-related charges, including seven charges of selling a prohibited drug.
Detectives also laid eight charges of aggravated armed robbery, nine charges of assault, 14 charges of burglary, 10 charges of stealing, 18 fraud, and five firearms charges.
One person was also charged with stealing a motor vehicle.
Four hydroponic cannabis operations were uncovered during the raids, with police seizing cannabis plants and cannabis material ready to be sold.
Det-First Class Const. Filipe Trejos said the operation demonstrated the link between drug dealers and criminals responsible for volume crime offences.
"As a result of those searches, significant quantities of prohibited drugs were removed from the streets and equipment used in the manufacture or cultivation of prohibited drugs was seized," Det-First Class Const. Trejos said.
"Volume crime offenders were identified, located and arrested . . . some offenders are of the belief that they will be safer by committing crime in the outer suburbs of the northern metropolitan area but Operation Evolution is a prime example that is not the case."
At a raid attended by The West Australian in Butler, officers had to act cautiously because of young children in the home.
The ChemCentre is analysing a seized substance believed to be amphetamine, with charges expected to be laid.
