Cannabis farms inside shipping containers discovered during police raids

Alleged drug traffickers were arrested as police searched homes and businesses throughout Melbourne's suburbs and in the regional town of Echuca on September 19.

The drugs were allegedly cultivated by a Melbourne-based syndicate with ties to organised crime, police said.

Three alleged drug traffickers, a 35-year-old Keilor Park man, a 28-year-old Albion man, and a 54-year-old Echuca man, have been charged with cultivating cannabis and other illicit drugs.

The investigation was launched in November 2024 after detectives probed the syndicate's ability to move "significant quantities of illicit drugs".

Australian Federal Police (AFP) acting commander Raymond Imbriano thanked investigators and intelligence members for their "dedication" to obstructing the alleged drug syndicate.

"We are committed to reducing the threat posed by organised crime to the lives, welfare and hip pockets of Australians," he said.

He said the AFP was also committed to "ensuring we keep Victoria as hostile an environment as possible for anyone seeking to profit from the misery caused by illicit drugs".

More than $200,000 in cash, small quantities of cocaine, weapons, drug paraphernalia, and encrypted devices were seized, as well as 86 mature cannabis plants and an estimated 25 kilograms of dried cannabis.

Further forensic testing will determine the exact weight and composition of the plants, police said.

The Keilor Park man was charged with one count of cultivating a narcotic plant, namely cannabis, in a quantity that is not less than a commercial quantity applicable to that narcotic plant.

The Albion man was charged with one count of cultivating a narcotic plant, one count of trafficking a drug of dependence, and one count of possessing a drug of dependence.

The Echuca man was charged with one count of trafficking a drug of dependence.

Their cases remain before the courts.

Further arrests are expected as part of the investigation, police said.