Four men charged in Exmouth meth bust

Police say they have stopped a major source of methamphetamine from reaching the streets of Exmouth after Karratha detectives allegedly seized 140g of the drug and made several arrests.

The alleged seizures were the result of an operation running since April targeting the sale and supply of drugs in the Exmouth area.

Three Exmouth men and a fourth man from NSW have been charged with a total of 11 offences.

Detective Senior Sergeant Carlos Correia said the largest seizure came when police intercepted a truck in Perth that was bound for Exmouth.

As a result, a 55-year-old man was arrested in his Exmouth home on Friday and charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply and one count of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

“It was a lengthy operation because we had to be persistent and patient and we wanted to make sure that if we made any arrests the evidence was going to be there and we could lay charges,” Det-Snr Sgt Correia said.

“In the scheme of things, that’s a significant amount of drugs being taken out of a small place, so the impact will certainly flow on to the community.”

A 45-year-old Exmouth man was also charged with two counts of attempting to possess a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply, one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, one count of possessing methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and one count of possession of unlawfully obtained property.

A 25-year-old Exmouth man was charged with one count of conspiracy to sell or supply methamphetamine and one count of possessing unlawfully obtained property.

A 27-year-old man from Mosman, NSW, was also charged with one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply.

Det-Snr Sgt Correia said the impact of methamphetamine was devastating to small regional communities.

“These people just live off the misery of others and that’s why we’re very patient about doing this kind of work,” he said.

“We see the results of meth on the street and what it’s doing to people, so as much as we can get it off the street we will.”