POLICE claim to have rescued a five-year-old child from a clandestine drug lab allegedly hidden at North Wagga’s Eldorado property during a string of raids this week.
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Cash, ice, cannabis, guns and drug paraphernalia were seized by the State Crime Command (SCC) from Condon Avenue and Oura Road properties during back-to-back search warrants on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Three men, aged 30, 34, and 44, have been taken into custody and charged with a raft of offences.
Detective Inspector Darren Cloake believes those implicated are part of a broader criminal enterprise – potentially spanning the state.
“It is the position of the police that the three members arrested are part of a wider criminal syndicate,” he said.
He revealed the child discovered during Wednesday’s North Wagga swoop will be taken into government custody.
“Police have made a mandatory notification to Family and Community Services (FACS) to care for the well being of that child in the future,” he said.
“These labs present a significant risk as they have a tenancy to explode, so it is of huge concern that a small child was present at the location.”
The series of raids was triggered at 10pm on Tuesday night, when Wagga police claim to have intercepted a 34-year-old driving his Holden Commodore negligently in Mount Austin.
Officers seized quantities of ice and cannabis during the search.
It led detectives to the Mount Austin home of the 34-year-old’s associate.
A search of the Condon Avenue home on Tuesday afternoon uncovered an unregistered rifle, approximately $6000 in cash, an ounce of ice, cannabis, and allegedly stolen goods.
The 30-year-old occupant was charged with a range of drug-related offences.
Police completed the trifecta when they stormed Oura Road’s Eldorado mansion, discovering five guns, a vast amount of ammunition and a quantity of drugs.
A 44-year-old man was subsequently arrested, pending official charges.
