BLITZ ON HIGHWAY PUSHERS

Police target drug cars

Police have intercepted millions of dollars' worth of drugs and cash
by targeting vehicles en route from Sydney to markets in Melbourne and
Adelaide.

In the past 14 months police from the Southern River Regions have
intercepted more than 70 vehicles along the Hume and Sturt highways
carrying a "trafficable amount" of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines or
cannabis. They have laid hundreds of charges.

The police have seized more than 200 kilograms of cannabis, $510,000
in cash, almost five kilograms of heroin and cocaine and more than
2,000 ecstasy tablets.

Intelligence from State and Federal police indicates most of the drugs
imported into Australia come into Sydney for distribution to the rest
of the country by road.

Superintendent John Carey, from Albury, said his officers had been
using new powers to stop and search suspicious vehicles - with good
success.

In an incident on Thursday afternoon, typical of the arrests so far, a
highway patrol vehicle which had just finished conducting routine
speed checks pulled from the side of the road and in behind a rented
Magna sedan, 30 kilometres north of Albury.

The vehicle's occupants were acting nervously and kept turning to
check on the police car behind them.

That was enough for police to pull over and search the vehicle. After
they found $12,000 cash in a handbag belonging to one of the
occupants, a more thorough search revealed two packages stashed behind
the seat containing 750 grams of heroin.

A couple from Preston in Victoria were charged with trafficking
heroin.

"Our officers have been told to look out for suspicious vehicles
travelling on both the Sturt and Hume highways as they are the major
trafficking routes," Superintendent Carey said.

"Often the vehicles have been stopped whilst speeding and the drivers
have acted strangely, and many of the vehicles have been hire cars."

He said police had been using powers under the Crimes Act and various
pieces of drug legislation which allowed them to stop, detain and
search vehicles suspected of carrying drugs.

Their powers had been enhanced by the Police Powers (Vehicles) Act,
which came into effect this month.

Superintendent Carey said a number of innocent motorists had been
stopped, detained and searched in the blitz but generally people had
been fairly understanding.

"It is generally the ones who have drugs on board that kick up a
stink," he said.

He added: "We have got a fairly high strike rate on the vehicles that
we have targeted."