Police have seized cash (centre) and arrested eight people, including the two men pictured, around Queanbeyan as part of Strike Force Torlin. Photos: NSW Police.
About 60 police officers combined their efforts to take down what is alleged to have been a major ”dial-a-dealer” syndicate that was selling a “cocktail” of drugs between Canberra and Queanbeyan.
Eight alleged members of the syndicate had been charged by Friday (20 March), and police expected more arrests.
“We have made a real dent in this organised crime group that we alleged are supplying quantities of prohibited drugs to the communities in Queanbeyan,” Superintendent Tim Beattie of NSW Police’s Southern Operations said.
“My message to everybody involved is that there is no border between NSW and the ACT when it comes to criminal behaviour.”
In general, ”dial-a-dealers” use messaging services to allow buyers to order drugs online, then arrange for a location to supply those substances.
Officers from Strike Force Torlin, established in September 2025 to investigate the supply of drugs on the border, made the eight arrests in the Queanbeyan region on Thursday (19 March).
In one case, officers had to use a taser to arrest an 18-year-old man in a carpark in Jerrabomberra before allegedly seizing $4000 cash, cannabis and 43 MDMA capsules.
Also, two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested in a Queanbeyan carpark before police allegedly found $25,000 cash and 176 grams of cocaine.
These three men were charged with drug-related offences and scheduled to face the NSW Local Court on Friday.
Meanwhile, at the same time as the raids in NSW, ACT Policing searched locations in the suburbs of Harrison and O’Connor, where they allegedly seized two privately made firearms, ammunition, a gel blaster, more than $70,000 cash and drugs.
Superintendent Toby Lindsay (left) and Superintendent Tim Beattie speak to the media on Friday. Photo: Albert McKnight.
Superintendent Beattie alleged the syndicate was selling “a cocktail of particular drugs”, including MDMA, cocaine and cannabis.
“Through the operation, we’ve recovered a large quantity of drugs of different types, cash and weaponry,” he said.
“It’s quite an organised syndicate group. It’s operated between the ACT and Queanbeyan.
“It’s quite sophisticated, but to a point. There is a vast number of people involved, and we say that the ones that we have apprehended are the primaries involved in that activity.”
The Monaro Police District Commander, Superintendent Toby Lindsay, said police understood the harm that illicit drugs caused in their communities and the risks posed by illegal firearms.
“We hope that there’s not syndicates of this size and scale operating all the time, but the reality is that there’s money to be made and in that money is harm to the community,” he said.
”So we can’t discount that there aren’t further syndicates operating.
“But again, we’ve got a Monaro risk squad whose job it is to target that drug supply and we’ll continue to target that drug supply.
“We’ll proactively remove that risk from the community along with ACT police, who are also focused on removing harm from the community as well.”
Superintendent Lindsay said the operation was ongoing.
Original Article published by Albert McKnight on Region Canberra.
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