Richmond’s drug scourge: Almost 200 deals thwarted near injecting centre

Police have thwarted almost 200 drug deals near the North Richmond supervised injecting centre since the facility opened.

Drug users can take illicit substances, including heroin and ice, into the medically-supervised injecting centre at North Richmond, but it’s still illegal for someone to sell those drugs to them.

Since the centre opened in July 2018, police have made 196 arrests for alleged drug trafficking offences in the area.

The say it is the result of increased patrols, including the work of the new Yarra Bike Patrol, which carried out 21 of the almost 200 arrests.

In the most recent instance, police this week stopped a suspicious car parked on Victoria St at the weekend.

The car was searched and a traffickable quantity of drugs was discovered.

The driver, a 42-year-old Richmond man, was arrested and charged with trafficking heroin, trafficking methylamphetamine, possessing GHD and bail related offences.

After conducting a warrant at his Richmond home, a second man aged 35-years-old was arrested and charged with drug and bail offences.