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Significant drug bust

Jessica Clement

Thursday 15 May, 2008 12:01am

FOUR Lake Macquarie residents have been charged following a multi-million dollar drug bust last Friday.

Two Sydney residents were also charged after the raid of four homes at Belmont and a home at Balmain.

Large commercial quantities of ecstasy, methylamphetamine (ice), cocaine, heroin and cannabis were recovered in the co-ordinated raids, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in cash.

Officers executed the search warrants in Tudor, Haig and Evans streets at about 9.15pm on Friday.

Lake Macquarie police seized 500g of ice from a home in Haig St valued at an estimated $400,000.

Police attached to the Central Metropolitan Region Enforcement Squad allege to have recovered 9kg ecstasy (valued at an estimated $1.5 million alone), 5kg of cannabis, 1kg of cocaine and 145g of heroin at the Balmain house.

The police had formed Strike Force Nellinda in December, 2007, to investigate the supply of methylamphetamine in the Lake Macquarie region.

Northern Region Assistant Commissioner Lee Shearer said the bust was significant for an area the size of Lake Macquarie.

Lake Macquarie police have charged a 50-year-old Belmont man, a 34-year-old Belmont man, a 28-year-old Belmont woman and a 26-year-old man from Windale in connection with the bust.

A 33-year-old Balmain man and a 31-year-old Hornsby man were charged by Sydney police.