The alleged stolen boat, along with the Toyota Hilux, was spotted at various locations including the Western Highway near Burrambeet.
A $100,000 Malibu boat allegedly stolen last Thursday from a secured yard at a local marine business has led to police breaking a major crime racket.
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Police detectives have recovered the ski boat owned by Peebles family from Bundalong after the family had shared the alleged theft on social media.
The family, which had purchased the boat from the US specifically for training for the world barefoot titles to be held in Mulwala in March, were devastated by the news the boat had been taken.
Amanda Peebles said it was “gut renching” to see the boat being taken by someone else’s car.
"It's not just a boat for us, the kids are due to compete in the barefoot world championships at Mulwala, we need it for training.
"We put it all over Facebook and it just shows the power of social media, It was incredible."
As part of the investigation detectives responded to reports an allegedly stolen ski boat was spotted in several locations including Ballarat near Lake Burrumbeet the same afternoon.
Officers were aware the boat had been stolen from Yarrawonga Marine earlier in the day and had been following up several social media sightings when it was confirmed the boat, along with an allegedly stolen Toyota Hilux, was in Ballarat.
With assistance from the Air Wing, police on the ground responded and arrested four men and a woman at a Buniya Street property in Bonshaw, a suburb of Ballarat, at about 2.45pm.
CCTV footage captures thieves breaking into the boat storage yard at Yarrawonga Marine.
A search of the property uncovered a significant quantity of allegedly stolen property believed related to a series of burglaries across multiple suburbs. A quantity of alleged methylamphetamine and suspected cocaine was also seized.
Two people from Yabba North, 26-year-old Nathan Weightman and 26-year-old Samantha Govers were charged with more than 50 offences including 10 counts each of theft of motor vehicles as well as burglary, handling stolen goods and possessing the proceeds of crime.
Another man from Smythesdale, 24-year-old Brandon Grant received similar charges, and Sheldon Jeans, 27 from Bonshaw, was additionally charged with trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine.
Mr Weightman was refused bail in the Ballarat Magistrate’s Court last Friday, while Ms Govers and Mr Jeans received bail. Mr Grant made no application. The fifth person arrested — a 21-year-old Delacombe man — was released and is expected to be charged on summons in relation to several driving matters.
The investigation, which is on-going, is believed to include the theft of up to ten high-end vehicles from Ballarat, Horsham, Shepparton, Wodonga, Cobram, Wangaratta, Deer Park and Yarrawonga.
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