Public information leads to police cracking major drug syndicate in Albany after detailed undercover operation

Police say they have cracked a major Albany drug syndicate, seizing a significant amount of methamphetamine and cash after a four-month undercover operation. Three people are facing serious charges of selling a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine, after the trio were allegedly caught selling 28g of the drug at a home at Bayonet Head on July 19. This week Albany police revealed the details surrounding the drug operation, specifically targeting the sale and supply of methamphetamine, which has been running for several months. Four alleged offenders have been caught up in the major drug bust after five search warrants were executed across Albany last week. Owen Leslie Sullivan, 41, Emily Jane Carter, 41, and Jason Edward Olivieri, 46, are the three people police allege sold a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine. Albany police say the trio were arrested as part of an organised drug syndicate. “A number of people were involved in the possession and supply of that quantity of drug and there is a level of organisation by the drug syndicate,” Albany officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Hugh Letessier said. “Someone had to source it from wherever it was manufactured, someone had to bring it to Albany, someone had to house it for a while, and ultimately someone else had it in their possession. Vital information from the public helped police start the detailed investigation, as they used intelligence, phone records and physical surveillance to crack the large drug web. “We frequently get reports from members of the public in respect of houses where there are people going and coming at all times of the day and night, where the public and (police) suspect there is drug dealing going on,” Sen. Sgt Letessier said. “Over the last four months, Albany police have been compiling and collating drug intelligence . . . all of that came together on Monday, July 17 when we decided to have a week of action. “We had a number of search warrants approved, and out of those we seized a significant quantity of drugs and some cash. “We seized in the vicinity of 35-40g of meth. “One particular seizure of 28g, which is a significant quantity because 28g on conviction makes the person who had that in their possession a declared drug trafficker. “We certainly think it’s a success. We put a significant effort into it to try and make it a success and currently have four people remanded in custody — that prevents harm in the community or re-offending, which is a good thing.” In total, police say they have seized nearly 40g of methamphetamine, $23,000 in cash and smaller quantities of cannabis and LSD and some drug paraphernalia across the five executed search warrants. Sen. Sgt Letessier estimates the total amount of methamphetamine seized would hold a street value of nearly $50,000. “Generally 28g would have about a $28,000-$30,000 street value,” he said. “Once it’s broken down into smaller quantities and sold at that level for a high profit. “This is putting a decent dent into the drug supply in Albany, certainly in the short term. “There are also two significant amounts of cash: $20,000 from a house, and another of about $3000 was seized from a person, and we will allege that is profits from the sale of drugs.” Sen. Sgt Letessier said the crackdown on drug dealing would continue. “Even though this operation has been completed, we’re going to continue to work in this space now that we’ve got an appetite for investigating drug offences in Albany. “Anyone that chooses to commit drug offences can expect us to knock on their door at some stage. “Albany detectives played a major part, the Albany police inquiry team played a major part, and members of the community were vital. That’s where it all started. “We thank members of the community for providing us with the information and confidence in us to go and do our job to the best of our ability, and it’s fair to say we won’t stop here.”