Operation HEMI
Operation Hemi was established by VictoriaPolice's Ethical StandardsDepartment in 2000 to investigate allegations of corruption. Theinvestigation led to the arrest of Mr Stephen (Steve)Paton and Mr MalcolmRosenes of Victoria Police'sDrug Squad. Mr Peter DeSanto was a key investigator.
On the 29th July, 2001 over 50 investigators from the Police Ethical Standards (ESD) were involved in the arrest phase of Operation HEMI. On that day, Detective Sergeant Rosense of the former Drug Squad and 4 other officers were arrested for allegedly trafficking in commercial quantities of a drug of dependence. Over 50,000 ecstasy tablets were seized.
Subsequently, former Detective Senior Paton, who had resigned as a member of the Drug Squad in 22 March 2001 was charged as a result of Operation HEMI with trafficking commercial quantities of a drug of dependence . The charges were primarily a result of the Drug Squads so-called , Chemical Diversion Program.
Controlled Chemical Deliveries (CCD’s) involve the sale of commercially available pre-cursor chemicals by police to criminals involved in the manufacture of illicit drugs. The rationale behind this practice is that once the pre-cursor chemicals have been supplied to the criminals, police can then monitor the recipients of the chemicals in the manufacture of illicit drugs and identify the persons who then traffick the illicit drugs.
THE CCD was expanded by the Drug Squad from the provision of precursor chemicals by police to criminals to include trafficable quantities of pseudoephedrine, sold in commercial form as Sudafed and logicin in tablets.
Because of the lack of proper accounts records and record keeping and the disappearance of records, the details of many transactions will never be known . In the course of these transactions the Drug Squad accumulated substantial profits . In August 2001, the balance of the chemical purchase amount stood at over 2.5 million dollars.
CEJA Taskforce: Investigations of Allegations of Drug Related Corruption- Interim Report
http://www8.austlii.edu.au/au/other/VicOmbPRp/2003/2.pdf
Initial allegations against Steven Paton were to the effect that had made approximately 10 unauthorised purchases of large quantities of Sudafed tablets for an approximate total price of $70,000, from Sigma Pharmacy. It is believed that Paton had been selling this product to criminals for use in the manufacture of methamphetamines. It was also revealed that Paton had made numerous other unauthorised purchases used in the manufacture of methamphetamines from other companies . These included large quantities of Pseudoephedrine from Sigma Pharmaceutical and Science Supply .
Operation HEMI - investigation
Ethical Standards Unit
Informers were a vital part of the Drug Squads, Chemical Delivery operations. Unfortunately, the Drug Squad had used unstructured, secretive , unaccountable and sometimes unprofessional methods in handling informants. In respect to Chemical Deliveries members were not appropriately supervised and lacked accountability.
Learn more about Controlled Chemical Deliveries and corruption in an Adam Shand interview with Peter Kos.
DETECTIVES: Police informers and corruption, Peter Kos
Real Crime: Australian Detectives
How do police investigators get inside information into the underworld? And then what stops those cops from taking a little extra on the side during busts? Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Kos has fought police corruption and then paid the price.
https://fountain.fm/episode/AzSHaJF6H25f8IIpO5nj
What does Controlled Chemical Deliveries have to do with case of Mr. Cruel? Diving a little deeper there seems to be a coinciding of the HEMI investigation and the ex. senior Detective Ron Iddles conversation with old crook, Alf Gay in the early 2000’s.
Ron Iddles met with Alfred Gay and chatted about safe cracking and other stuff, when Alf drops the bombshell that his good friend Norman Lee had confessed to the murder of Karmein Chan. He added that Lee admitted he crossed dressed from time to time and goes on to tell Iddles that his friends house was a perfect match to the description of Mr. Cruel’s detention premises . Iddles can’t recall the exact date but states it was sometime early 2000’s. This would be at the same time Operation HEMI was established to investigate police corruption in relation the supply of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of amphetamines. What would Gay have to with the manufacturing or sale of methamphetamines ?
The relationship between Iddles and Gay goes way back beyond this meeting to the year 1989 , when Iddles arrested Alf Gay in relation to Drug Trafficking methamphetamines. Two other men were also arrested, one the son of a barrister (Rule). According to Rule, Iddles doesn’t oppose bail for Gay and his co-offenders , he treats them fairly. Rule also states that Alf did his time in prison and after he was released he lived the quiet life . Rule fails to mention , what year Alf was sentenced or how long he was incarcerated. These details may be relevant .
Alf Gay was no small time crook , as Rule describes he was a heavy hitter . In 1974, Gay was sentenced to over ten years imprisonment for his involvement in the MSS ROBBERY. Prior to that he was a rigger on the Melbourne waterfront and involved in the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union and a history of burglary charges from his youth.
In podcast , Police informers and corruption (Shand), in 1991 the Drug Squad got lucky and recruited a top notch criminal to partake in the Chemical Delivery operation . This particular crook did not want to do time in prison. It is assumed that this informant was facing a lengthy prison term but preferred life on the outside, which is usually the case of crooks who have spent long years in prison that roll over.
It could be just a coincidence that in the same year members of the drug squad were being investigated and arrested for trafficking that Iddles had his friendly chat with Alf Gay. Or that Alf Gay was arrested for trafficking methamphetamines in 1989, just a year prior to the Drug Squads lucky snare of a criminal turn informant.
There is a couple of other facts that may contribute to this theory . First, the location of the two stated pharmaceutical companies involved in the Chemical Delivery corruption scandal, Sigma Pharmaceuticals and Science Supplies .
Sigma Pharmaceuticals located at Merrindale Drive, Kilsyth is awfully close <5 minutes to the intersection of Jersey Rd and Mountain Highway, where a witness almost collided with a suspect white commodore the night Sharon Wills was released. If it was Mr. Cruel who was sighted exiting Jersey Rd that night , it is curious as to why he took that route through the industrial area to back track to Bayswater High School. It’s more than likely he was familiar with this area.
Science Supplies Australia located at 10 Redland Drive, Mitcham in the vicinity of Sharon Wills home on Hillcrest Ave and the school she attended.
News articles published back in time may also be of relevance.
Lawyer X inquiry: Former cop say catching drug crooks was prioritised over child murder case
(AAP , 2019)
Two judges may have crossed the line in a bid to catch paedophile “Mr. Cruel”
(Chris Vedelago, 2020)
Mr. Cruel may have inside information (sue Green, 1993)
https://amp.scmp.com/article/25862/mr-cruel-may-have-inside-information
Lastly , the most curios found in the r/MrCruel Reddit thread by user handle WhileUWerrSleepingx
Bent cops and crooked informants were running loose, supplying the ingredients to cook up methamphetamines in drug houses across Melbourne could hold the key to Solving this crime. The text on the Chans car “payback Asian drug dealer” may have more meaning than we think.