Police conducting raids on a major 'hydro house' operation in the Hunter Valley have seized 1405 cannabis plants and charged five people, NSW Police say.
About 8am today (Wednesday 14 February), officers attached to the Port Stephens/Hunter Police District executed crime scene warrants on six homes in Raworth, Tenambit (x2), Heddon Greta, Aberglasslyn and Chisholm.
When investigators from Strike Force Devom entered the houses, they discovered each had been refurbished with fake walls and extra rooms, solely dedicated to the cultivation of hydroponically-grown cannabis.
Most of the dwellings contained more than 250 plants, ranging in size from small seedlings to fully mature.
The huge haul has an estimated potential street value of $2.8 million.
A 25-year-old male student arrested at a Tenambit address has been charged with cultivate prohibited plant- large commercial quantity.
A 37-year-old male illegal immigrant, arrested at Heddon Greta, has been charged with cultivate prohibited plant- large commercial quantity. He was also identified as being an unlawful citizen.
A 26-year-old male illegal immigrant, arrested at a Tenambit address, has been charged with cultivate prohibited plant- large commercial quantity. He was also identified as being an unlawful citizen.
A 23-year-old woman, also arrested at Tenambit, has been charged with cultivate prohibited plant- large commercial quantity.
A 48-year-old man, arrested at Raworth, has been charged with cultivate prohibited plant- large commercial quantity.
Port Stephens/Hunter detectives are now investigating whether all the houses were operated by a single syndicate.
"Whoever is behind these indoor cannabis crops has gambled with not being detected in a regional area like Maitland and they've been proved seriously mistaken," District Commander, Detective Superintendent Craig Jackson said.
"We have ripped these cash crops out and are set to destroy them, not only depriving criminals of their immediate value, but disrupting their businesses well into the future." Supt Jackson said.
The five people arrested, all Vietnamese Nationals, have been refused bail to appear in Maitland Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 15 February 2018).
