Methamphetamine arrests spike in Kimberley as police crack down on trade

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

A drastic increase in methamphetamine seizures in Western Australia's north over the past few months has "surprised" the region's top police officer.
The latest WA Police statistics show police laid 366 charges in relation to drug offences across the Kimberley between April and June 2025.
It is the highest number of drug offences prosecuted in the same time frame since 2017.
The ABC understands substances like marijuana dominated police prosecutions in 2017, whereas the latest figures show it is meth.
In the first half of 2025 alone, there were 445 drug offences prosecuted in Broome.
Since starting as Kimberley superintendent six months ago, John Hutchison said he had put an emphasis on cracking down on the quantity of meth flowing into the region.
Superintendent Hutchison moved into the role after being an integral part of the WA Police Organised Crime Division, which led to record drug seizures that disrupted international drug cartels.
"The amount of drugs being seized within the Kimberley has increased significantly and we don't intend to let off that pressure," he said.
"There is, or there was, a strong availability of some of these hard-core meth drugs in the Kimberley.
Superintendent Hutchison said the sale of meth, especially in remote and regional communities, was "quite lucrative".
During the pandemic its supply took a hit because the drug was being imported by boat and plane.
The Australian Institute of Criminology found that as soon as border restrictions eased, the supply rebounded.
Superintendent Hutchison said people selling and profiting from the trade were not always from the Kimberley.
Between late May and July 2025, over one kilogram of methamphetamine was seized across numerous arrests in Broome.
In May, a 38-year-old woman was arrested at a Cable Beach hotel after police allegedly found 460 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a parcel.
In two separate incidents on the same day in June, a 36-year-old woman was charged with 10 counts of offering to sell or supply methylamphetamine and a 21-year-old was arrested during a traffic stop, allegedly found with nine hidden clip seal bags of methamphetamine.
In mid-July, a 37-year-old woman was arrested after police allegedly discovered over 667 grams of methamphetamine during a traffic stop on the Great Northern Highway.
All involved have been prosecuted and are going through the WA court system.
There is "very good legislation" in WA aimed at tackling drugs and organised crime, according to Superintendent Hutchison.
This includes the ability to get warrants to search homes, conduct traffic stops, search vehicles, and shut down stretches of road where police have intel that it might be a drug thoroughfare.
"Yes, like any good tradesmen, police have got a number of tools in our toolkit that we can use at various times," Superintendent Hutchison said.
Superintendent Hutchison said he had no intention of letting the pressure off this issue.
"We'll put them behind bars and I hope they end up going to jail.
"They cause significant harm to the community and to vulnerable people using the drugs they sold."
Superintendent Hutchison highlighted the significance of community input in making drug arrests.
"They might see something suspicious and that could be the little piece in the jigsaw that we need," he said.