Police have laid almost 150 charges against a man following an investigation into prohibited weapons being supplied to youth gang members in Melbourne's southeast last year.
On 25 October 2023, the Dandenong Youth Gang Team seized more than 400 prohibited weapons, including samurai swords, zombie knives and butterfly knives, following raids at two shops in Narre Warren and Boronia - as well as a factory in Dandenong South - as part of Operation Alliance.
During the searches, police seized:
• 402 prohibited weapons, including three imitation handguns, butterfly knives, zombie knives, axes, miniature samurai swords, daggers, flick knives, and knuckle dusters
• 111 cartons of illegal cigarettes and approximately 2kg of dried loose-leaf tobacco
• Quantities of methylamphetamine, cannabis and prescription medication
• 17,525 vapes - some containing nicotine - worth $461,000
• Laser pointers.
A 52-year-old Cranbourne North man - who was arrested at the shop in Narre Warren and released at the time pending further enquiries - has since been served with 140 charges, including:
• 97 counts of possess prohibited weapon without exemption/approval
• 27 counts of possess Schedule 4 poison
• Ten counts of display prohibited weapon for sale
• Four counts of possess imitation firearm
• Two counts of possess tobacco.
He was summonsed to appear in Dandenong Magistrate's Court on 16 July 2024.
It will be alleged the man was selling prohibited weapons - including knives and machetes - to known youth gang members in the Greater Dandenong area.
Operation Alliance continues to hold Victoria's most serious and violent youth offenders accountable.
Over the past year, Alliance has led to 387 known youth gang members being arrested a combined total of 1,432 times. These offenders were charged with 3,286 offences.
A core group of 249 youth gang members who were arrested more than three times over the past year, including 59 arrested more than ten times, present a specific challenge for police.
