WANNON MP Dan Tehan has been left red-faced after his own drug policy ‘Dob in a Dealer’ led to his nephew’s arrest after being caught up in an Australia Post police sting.

The MP said he was offering “love and support” to his sister’s son, Thomas Cameron, 26, who was held in custody on drug charges.

Proclaimed as a high-profile footballer for the VFL club, Port Melbourne, Tehan’s Richmond real estate executive nephew spent at least a month on remand.

A Herald Sun story on the weekend said Mr Cameron was allegedly caught on CCTV mailing a parcel containing almost 900gm of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or more commonly known as ecstasy.

It said he was granted bail to a rehabilitation centre after his parents paid $24,000 for drug addiction treatment.

It was reported he faced 11 charges, including trafficking MDMA and cocaine, possessing those drugs as well as ketamine, xanax, oxycodone and anabolic steroids, and dealing allegedly with the proceeds of crime of $950 in cash.

Before losing government in the May election last year, Mr Tehan released a statement in April 2022 espousing the virtues of dobbing in drug dealers and encouraged locals to do so.

“Both here in Wannon and nationally, illegal drugs cause untold despair and damage to families and individuals,” he said.

“The fight on drugs is something we take very seriously.”

He said at the time, the Morrison Government’s extra funding to the program would mean more local communities across Australia would be encouraged to actively dob in drug dealers.

“Every dealer, no matter how large or small their enterprise, is connected to organised crime,” Mr Tehan said.

“We can catch the criminals who profit from the misery of drugs.”

Foretelling of the anti-drugs campaign’s success ahead of his nephew’s arrest, Mr Tehan said the results spoke for themselves.

“The Morrison Government’s policies are working and are having a real impact.”

He said at the time, the weight of illicit drugs seized nationally increased by 45 per cent in the previous financial year (2020/21) to a staggering 38.5 tonnes - which is a 314 per cent increase over the last decade; and, this resulted in a decrease in the consumption of cocaine, methylamphetamine, MDMA, and heroin by almost five tonnes, or 23 per cent year-on-year – the first decrease in illicit drug consumption recorded in five years.

The Herald Sun’s article said police arrested Mr Cameron after they detected a parcel containing a heat-sealed plastic bag with brown crystals, found to be 895gm of MDMA on July 12.

Mr Tehan’s nephew faced court last week with his Senior Council arguing he came from a good family background.

Mr Cameron will return to court for a committal mention on December 4.