Police have arrested two men after discovering a handgun and a brick of methylamphetamine worth more than $220,000, buried in the backyard of a Malvern East home.
Investigators from the Prahran Divisional Response Unit - with assistance from the Drone Unit and the Australian Federal Police's specialist forensic search team - executed two simultaneous search warrants at neighbouring homes on Hughes Street, from about 9am on Thursday 18 July.
It will be alleged a man ran from one home and jumped over the fence, into the waiting arms of officers who were conducting another search at the second property.
He was allegedly found in possession of almost $25,000.
Police then dug up a garden bed at the property, and allegedly located a handgun, drugs, steroids and ammunition all wrapped in plastic.
The methylamphetamine has an estimated potential street value of $225,000.
During a search of the second home, police seized more vials of steroids, and a traffickable quantity of cocaine with an estimated potential street value of more than $15,000.
Police also seized a quantity of cannabis, prescription poisons, mobile phones and electronic devices.
Two men aged and 25 and 32, both from Malvern East, were arrested at the scene.
The younger man was charged with traffick commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, traffick cocaine, prohibited person possess firearm, possess unregistered firearm, and possess proceeds of crime.
He was remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 10 October 2024.
The older man was charged with possessing steroids and cannabis. He was bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 4 October 2024.
Quotes attributable to Prahran Divisional Response Unit Senior Constable Tristan Aboltins:
"From time to time, individuals bury items in an effort to conceal crimes, so for us, a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes into locating them.
"A discovery of this kind shows that we are well equipped to locate hard-to-find items that people don't want us to find.
"It's a great result to get those items off the street and out of the wrong hands to keep our community safer.
"My message to anyone who thinks they can get away with trafficking drugs is that we're relentless in our fight; we've got the resources and we've got the time, and we will find you eventually."
