NT Police have seized a large quantity of drugs, cash and also firearms after a series of search warrants across businesses and residences in Palmerston yesterday.

Drug and Organised Crime Division Detective Acting Superintendent Clint Sims said members from the Southern Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk and the Southern Dog Operations Unit were screening passengers and freight on a Greyhound bus destined for Darwin from Adelaide on November 15.

“Police narcotic detector dog Wilson provided a response to an item in a freight bin addressed to a Palmerston business.

“During a search of the bin, officers found 40 individual 454g packages of cannabis totalling more than 18 kilograms.”

Police conducted investigations into the seizure that resulted in the arrest of a 33-year-old man.

A/Superintendent Sims said the man had received at least four other similar packages, containing a total of nearly 70kg of cannabis.

“Further investigations uncovered links to a 31-year-old man. Search warrants executed by Detectives in Palmerston then located a further 958g of cannabis, 350g of cannabis butter, a small amount of methamphetamine, three unsecured firearms, a quantity of ammunition and $94,520 cash.”

Both men were refused bail to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court today.

“These seized drugs would have had a street value of at least $900,000 if sold on the streets in Darwin.  With narcotic detector dogs such as Wilson working throughout the NT every day, people embarking on transporting drugs to the NT will inevitably be caught,” Detective Sims said.