A man allegedly conducting a dial-a-dealer service to Canberra school students and cooking up gummy bears in his home to drop off to customers has been remanded in custody for a fresh bail hearing next week.
A 24-year-old Vietnamese national, Phuc Tran, was arrested in his Hyundai on Friday and charged with drug and vape trafficking.
Since June last year, officers from Gungahlin General Duties have been investigating the sale and distribution of cannabis and vapes in their district, with arrests made and intelligence gathered by the officers.
On Friday, Mr Tran was observed by police to conduct multiple exchanges of goods out of a vehicle at multiple locations across the ACT.
Police said many of these exchanges occurred with teenagers in school uniforms.
About 12.20pm on Friday in Phillip, police arrested Tran and seized his Hyundai Elantra.
Search warrants were obtained to examine the vehicle as well as a residence in Franklin.
In the car police allegedly found 51 vapes, $975 in cash, about 68 grams of cannabis and about 110 grams of a green liquid suspected to contain cannabis.
At the home police seized more than 600 vapes, hydroponic growing equipment, nine cannabis plants, about 800 "gummy lollies" in the shape of bears or cannabis leaf, a slow cooker with approximately four litres of a green liquid believed to contain cannabis, moulds in the shape of bears or cannabis leaf, drying racks and about 500 grams of dried cannabis.
Police believe the man is responsible for a significant volume of illegal vape and cannabis distribution in the ACT with analysis of bank statements across a recent three-day period showing deposits totalling almost $6500.
Tran was charged with possessing property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, trafficking in cannabis, supplying vaping goods, and possessing a commercial quantity of vaping goods. This was the first time an ACT person has been charged with Commonwealth supply and possession of vaping goods offences.
