Air and post search nabs meth, dope

Passengers arriving at Pilbara airports came face-to-nose with sniffer dogs last week as law enforcement agencies seized methamphetamine and cannabis from travellers and parcels sent through the post.

The joint Pilbara detectives and Australian Border Force operations named Aboard and Ajax ran from May 10-13 at Port Hedland and Karratha airports and the towns’ three Australia Post outlets.

Pilbara District Officer Acting Detective-Inspector Tony Langer said his team charged three males and one female with prohibited drug offences as a result of the operations with detectives set to investigate further.

“During the operation, MDMA was seized from a male passenger on the Melbourne to Hedland flight and cannabis was also seized from a male at the Karratha airport,” he said.

“Cannabis, methylamphetamine and LSD were seized from South Hedland Post office and a quantity of methylamphetamine was seized at Karratha Post Office.”

The Pilbara operation comes as State Treasurer Mike Nahan unveiled a $14.9 million two-year funding boost to the Mental Health Commission for meth-targeted programs in last week’s Budget and $5.5 million for extra roadside drug testing.

It also follows Operation Redwater in December 2014 and January 2015, when police searched workers flying into Pilbara mine sites and pulled over heavy-haulage trucks on local roads.

Acting Det-Insp. Langer said his team had intelligence that drugs were entering the Pilbara through commercial flights and the mail service.

“This is a deterrent to them so they know that any time they are going to get off a plane at Port Hedland or Karratha there is a good chance they will get searched by either us or Border Force,” he said.