Uranium found during police raids

Peter Gregory
April 1, 2009

Uranium, cash and chemicals have been seized in a series of raids connected with the leaking of confidential police documents.

Police said three men had been arrested as a result of the raids, carried out by Petra Taskforce investigators in Melbourne and country Victoria today. Members of the police ethical standards department and Office of Police Integrity (OPI) were also involved.

The uranium, and a substantial amount of chemicals and glassware, were allegedly found in a storage facility at Harcourt, near Castlemaine. Police did not say how much uranium was found or how it was stored.

The OPI said today that the arrests arose from a joint investigation into the unauthorised release of highly confidential police intelligence.

It said the investigation had revealed links between police members and criminal elements, however, it was not alleging police were implicated in the activity that led to today's arrests.
Police said a 42-year-old Preston man was arrested after the raid allegedly uncovered a large clandestine laboratory.

They also reported finding about eight litres of a suspected drug of dependence and a large amount of cash at a house in Penola Street, Preston.

Police also searched an address in High Street, Kangaroo Flat, a suburb of Bendigo, where they allegedly discovered about $120,000 in cash, a handgun and chemicals they believe would be used to make amphetamines.


As part of the raids, investigators also allegedly located an amount of uranium and a substantial amount of chemicals and glassware, in a storage facility at Harcourt.

And a hydroponic cannabis plantation of about 50 plants was allegedly found at Bulla Road,

Bulla. Glassware and chemicals allegedly intended for use in amphetamine manufacture were also located.

George Dracoulis, head of the department of nuclear physics at Australian National University, said uranium oxide that was mined and then transported in labelled steel drums, was almost completely benign.

"It's a natural mineral, it's very slightly radioactive, but any sort of simple container controls the radioactivity,'' he said.

"If you ate it, ingested it, you might have some issues,'' he said.

Professor Dracoulis said he would be concerned if "people have somehow got hold of radioactive waste".

"In Australia that would mainly be through medical areas or industrial areas where they use radioactive sources,'' he said.

Police said tonight that Garry McMillan, 42, from Preston had been charged with trafficking a drug of dependence, possessing proceeds of crime and possesing articles for the manufacture of amphetamine.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court at a later date.

Kangaroo Flat man, Andrew McNaughton, 46, was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence and remanded to appear at Bendigo Magistrates Court tomorrow.

A 49-year-old Bulla man has been charged with trafficking, cultivating and possessing cannabis and has been bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on June 29.