Report a drug dealer

Reporting a drug matter

There are currently 3 ways to report a drug dealer or suspected drug lab:

1. report directly to your local police station
2. contact Policelink on 13 14 44
3. contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 (only if you wish to report anonymously)

Questions that police will ask you

Below are the questions police will ask you when you report a drug matter. The more information you can provide, the easier it will be to find the suspect.
Police will ask you for information about:

• the person’s appearance and manner
• where the person lives, including address, phone numbers, property description, how long they’ve lived there, whether there are children or dangerous dogs, and whether there are firearms or weapons on the property
• the person’s cars, including registration details
• the names and address of anyone else involved, as well as how often they come around and what activity you’ve seen between them, such as exchanges of cash or packages
• what drugs they’re dealing and how you know what they look like or how they’re packaged.

If you suspect a drug lab

What to do

If you find or suspect a drug lab, get out and call the police.
The ingredients used in drug labs are highly toxic, flammable and dangerous. Drug labs explode, ignite and release harmful gases that can cause serious health problems and be life threatening.
Never touch the items you see or enter the property. If you’re already inside or near a drug lab, leave immediately and contact police.

How to identify a drug lab

Below are some signs of a drug lab:

• suspicious items, including improvised heating and cooling mechanisms
• used materials surrounding a property, including cold and flu packets, empty pseudoephedrine blister strips, gas cylinders or butane fuel cans, stained coffee filters, pH testers or test strips, and water pumps
• an unusual chemical smell
  plastic containers, with or without chemical labels
• laboratory glassware
• fan or pump type noise
• residents never putting their rubbish out or burning their rubbish
• little or no traffic at a property during the day but frequent traffic late at night or at odd hours
• blackened, covered or reinforced windows
• unusual electrical work
• hoses and pipes near windows or doors
• extractor fans, particularly in garages or sheds
• chemical/reaction waste, often carelessly disposed of.

Additionally, as a landlord, you might notice:

• a new tenant willing to pay rent months in advance using only cash
• new rental applicants trying to avoid background checks
• a premises recently rented by residents who are rarely there.

Further information

The effects of illicit drug use

Drug courts