Charges follow raids

By Sarah Schwager
A SERIES of raids by police on the weekend has seen 11 people, including a Dandenong man, charged with drug offences.
Detectives from the Purana task force, Special Operations Group and major drug investigation division executed 17 search warrants across a number of suburbs on Saturday night as part of a 12month investigation, codenamed Operation Tigger.
Glen Spokes, 38, of Grace Avenue, Dandenong, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with drug possession and possessing equipment to manufacture amphetamines.
He was remanded to appear again on 22 November.
A Cockatoo man, Nicholas Sarra, 45, was also charged with possession and manufacturing a drug of dependence. He was also remanded to appear again. Police said about 150 police members located five clandestine laboratories and two hydroponic cannabis crops during the raids.
Police also allegedly found more than 1500 litres of chemicals used in making methylamphetamines.
The raids were carried out in many suburbs, including Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Coburg, Heidelberg Heights, Ferntree Gully, Cheltenham and Essendon.