HIGHWAY TO DRUGS HELL

DRUG-runners using the Hume Highway for trafficking drugs worth
millions of dollars between Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are being
blitzed by Albury police.

Over the past 14 months, police in the NSW southern region district,
which takes in Albury, Deniliquin, Wagga, Cootamundra and Goulburn,
have found drugs in 70 vehicles.

The vehicles were carrying heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis and
sometimes big wads of cash.

During the period, $510,000 in cash, 200kg of cannabis, 5kg of heroin
and cocaine and about 2000 ecstasy tablets have been seized.

Two weeks ago highway patrol officers found 727g of heroin and
$280,000 in cash in a Victorian-registered car north of Albury.

A Melbourne man and woman face heroin-related charges.

Insp. John Duncan, of Albury police, says cannabis comes from Adelaide
and is taken through to Sydney.

He said cannabis was allowed to be grown for personal use in South
Australia.

"They have more relaxed drug laws than the other states and cartels
are getting people to grow plants," he said.

"It comes through Melbourne or on roads near the Murray River into
Wodonga and Albury on its way north.

"Cannabis is the major drug on these routes," Insp. Duncan
said.

But state and federal police intelligence suggests most of the hard
drugs, including heroin, come from Sydney down to Melbourne and Adelaide.

Police in the NSW southern region have taken advantage of tough, new
state laws that allow them to stop and search cars or other vehicles
suspected of carrying drugs.

The laws allowed police - with "reasonable cause to believe" illegal
activity - to stop suspicious vehicles.

"We then search them to see if they contain this or that," Insp.
Duncan said.

Police have identified the Hume Highway as a key route for drug
couriers.

Highway patrol officers concentrate on hire cars.

They believe rented vehicles carry most of the illegal drugs on the
Hume.