What began as a routine clean at a short-term rental in Melbourne’s north-west has turned into a major organised crime investigation, after a cleaner uncovered a cache of illicit drugs, firearms, explosives and more than $1 million in cash inside a Keilor East property.
Victoria Police said officers were called to the Belle Vista address about 11.30 am on 24 January after the discovery was made.
Police say the scale of the haul was far from ordinary. Investigators found several incendiary devices at the property, prompting Victoria Police’s Bomb Response Unit and the Australian Defence Force to attend the scene and carry out controlled detonations to render the devices safe. The rental had been booked for several weeks across January, adding to suspicions that the address was being used for something far more serious than temporary accommodation.
Detective Inspector Jamie Walker from the Major Drug Squad described the seizure as organised crime, warning those involved that police were determined to identify and track them down. Investigators have already spoken to a man linked to the booking, but he was released pending further enquiries.
A key line of inquiry now centres on a white Toyota Camry hire car that police say travelled to the Keilor East property a number of times during the rental period. Detectives have released CCTV images of a man captured filling the vehicle at a service station on the Western Ring Road in Ardeer South on 25 December 2025. Police say the man shown in the footage is not the person who hired the car, but believe he may be able to assist the investigation.
The Camry was seized by police on 24 January and later returned to the hire company. Police say the man who rented the vehicle has been spoken to, but has not been cooperative. Authorities are now urging anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV footage, or who has information about the drugs, firearms, explosives or cash found at the property, to come forward.
The case has rattled residents in Keilor East and sharpened concerns about short-stay properties being used by criminal networks as temporary storage sites. For police, the message is clear: this was not an isolated stash but a serious operation, and the investigation is far from over.
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