Seven men are facing serious charges after an eight-month police investigation into an alleged drug-trafficking network operating in Tasmania.
Police say the sting netted almost $2 million in cash, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and three silver bars.
The operation began unravelling in August when officers pulled over a 31-year-old Chigwell man driving through Melton Mowbray.
They allegedly found more than $580,000 in cash sitting on the passenger seat of his car and will claim he was “working as an illicit cash courier”.
Searches later that night at properties in Chigwell and Brighton uncovered another $59,000.
In September, a routine breath test on a 57-year-old Mayfield man led police to more than $1 million in cash stashed in a cardboard box in his vehicle.
Another seizure came on September 18 at a North Hobart hotel, where taskforce officers allegedly located 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, $300,000 in cash and a silver bar.
Evidence from that search took investigators to a New Town business, where they seized another 3 kilograms of cocaine and two more silver bars.
A 51-year-old Queensland man staying at the hotel was charged with trafficking and money-laundering offences.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court today.
Further raids in November across Bridgewater, Glenorchy and Brighton resulted in four additional arrests, including a 39-year-old Brighton man police allege is a senior figure in the syndicate.
AFP Detective Acting Sergeant Dannii Campbell said the combined resources of the JOCTF should serve as a warning to organised crime groups.
“… We are unwavering in our determination to stop them exploiting our communities and nowhere is safe for them to hide,” she said.
“These criminals cause untold pain and suffering when they bring illicit drugs into our community.”
She also had a message for those engaging in such alleged activities.
“We will take your cash and drugs and dismantle your operations,” she said.
The men, aged between 31 and 57, face charges including drug trafficking and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Maximum penalties range from three to 21 years imprisonment.
The group is scheduled to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court between January and April 2026.
