A young man has been arrested after cops uncovered an eye-watering $5.5million worth of MDMA in a ute parked in a popular tourist town.
The bust in Byron Bay, almost 800km north of Sydney, is expected to put a significant dent in the supply of the class A drug across .
Officers found 28kg of MDMA in the 26-year-old’s car as well as $9,400 in cash.
Police will allege the man produced over 40kg of the substance bound for New South Wales and Western .
Strike Force Culti was formed in March 2024 to investigate the manufacture and supply of MDMA across ‘s eastern states.
Within three months of its formation, the taskforce arrested and charged seven people after a series of lab and home raids across Queensland and NSW.
Further investigations identified the alleged drug manufacturer, who was refused bail to appear in Tweed Heads Local Court on April 14.
Following the arrest, detectives executed search warrants across seven ‘clandestine’ Gold Coast laboratories and addresses at North McLean and Laidley.
Those subsequent searches uncovered an additional 8kg of MDMA, 500g of cocaine and a ‘large quantity’ of cash, gold, and silver bars.
Police also seized ‘mass amounts’ of chemicals and powders used in the manufacture of drugs including MDMA in ‘industrial size’ labs.
Footage from the search warrants shows officers sorting through alleged drug paraphernalia in warehouses and homes across the state.
A 40-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman have also been charged. Police allege the woman was charged in relation to the labs.
MDMA is among the most commonly used illicit substances in , particularly among young adults.
Research conducted by scientists from the University of New South Wales found an average of 22 ns died each year between 2001 and 2018.
That said, more recent research suggests the drug’s popularity may be declining.
That, in combination with more broadly available drug testing, may have played a part in lowering the rates of MDMA-related deaths.
Daily Mail has contacted NSW Police and Queensland Police for comment.