Detectives from Victoria Police's Taskforce Icarus have charged two individuals and seized over $15 million worth of LSD alongside nearly $100,000 in combined cash and cryptocurrency, following a joint investigation with US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The operation targeted the alleged importation, exportation, and manufacture of LSD tabs — marking the largest LSD seizure in Victorian history and believed to be one of the biggest in Australia.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The probe originated in the United States in September 2024 after HSI identified what investigators determined to be the importation of border-controlled drugs from Australia. Once the person of interest was traced to Australia, HSI referred the case to Queensland Police Service, who subsequently identified the suspects as living in Victoria.
Working with the Australian Border Force, investigators intercepted approximately 120 individual postal parcels containing over 35,000 LSD tabs. These parcels were addressed to various destinations both within Australia and internationally, indicating a significant distribution network operating through the mail system.
Search Warrants and Arrests
With support from the Australian Federal Police, the Clandestine Laboratory Squad, the Joint Organised Crime Taskforce, and the Mornington Divisional Response Unit, search warrants were executed Wednesday morning at residential addresses in Mount Martha and Wollert.
Seized from the Mount Martha address:
- Approximately 750,000 LSD tabs
- 60 grams of LSD crystal (enough to produce an estimated 600,000 additional tabs)
- 113 grams of psilocybin mushrooms
- 1 kg of precursor chemicals
- Approximately $45,000 in cash
- Approximately $50,000 in cryptocurrency
The total LSD seized equates to roughly 1.5 million individual doses, with a combined street value of $15 million.
Charges Filed
A 35-year-old man from Mount Martha was charged with exporting a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, trafficking a large commercial quantity of a drug of dependence, possessing precursors, possessing equipment and materials to manufacture drugs, and possessing proceeds of crime. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on February 24.
A 44-year-old woman from Mount Martha was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of a drug of dependence, possessing precursors, possessing equipment and materials to manufacture drugs, and possessing proceeds of crime.
A small quantity of drugs was also seized from the Wollert address, and a 46-year-old man from Wollert is expected to be interviewed at a later date.
Taskforce Icarus
Taskforce Icarus is specifically responsible for targeting and disrupting the importation and supply of illicit drugs — primarily via the postal system. Exporting a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under Australian law.
The investigation remains ongoing.
