Police Unearth a Network of Underground Drug Running Tunnels in Australia

An officer inspects a tunnel. Image via

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The police in Queensland, Australia, have arrested 59 people over alleged drug offenses, after unearthing a complex network of underground tunnels linking concealed rooms beneath the city of Toowoomba.

Searching properties across the Darling Downs region, officers discovered 200 marijuana plants, a kilogram of cannabis, 20 grams of meth, several pythons being kept without licenses, illegal guns, knuckle dusters, and knives.

An officer opens a tunnel concealed under straw bales. Image via

The search team—including officers from the Darling Downs Tactical Crime Squad, Tactical Action Team, State Flying Squad, and State Drug Dogs—also found “a high quality and complex water filtration system,” along with chemicals and equipment likely used in the manufacture of meth.

Mick Loveday, the acting senior sergeant, suggested Toowoomba locals had played a role informing police about the drug ring. “The information utilized by police was obtained from the tenacious efforts of Toowoomba police as well as the vigilant and informative members of the community,” he said in a statement.

The cannabis crop unearthed. Image via

Those arrested were charged with 180 offenses ranging from possessing and producing dangerous drugs, to possessing amphetamines, and possessing utensils used for smoking or administering drugs, as well as possession of illegal weapons.

Police are continuing their investigations, but all 59 people will appear next month in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court.