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Police say they’ve seized more than a tonne of cannabis hidden amongst suburban homes in west Auckland. Waitematā West Police carried out a week-long operation targeting 17 rental properties being used as ‘grow houses’.
It’s the fourth iteration of Operation Beryl, which targets commercial-scale cannabis cultivation.
Inspector Mohammed Atiq, Relieving Waitematā West Police area commander, says this iteration focused on west Auckland properties and was led by both the Waitematā West Area Prevention Unit and Criminal Investigation Branch.
In total, police located 1532 plants during the operation: 862 mature plants and 670 juvenile seedling plants.
“It was quite literally a truckload of cannabis weighing 1.376 tonnes,” he says. “This is a significant outcome which will unmistakenly have an impact on the pockets of organised crime groups, who benefit from this criminal activity.”
All 17 properties were unoccupied at the time, and no arrests have been made at this stage. Atiq says enquiries have identified all properties were being tenanted by Vietnamese nationals at the time.
“Our staff continue to come across cannabis grow houses being set up in suburban properties across Auckland, and this result comes off the back of the large-scale operation in September last year.”
Police continue to urge landlords and property management agencies to be vigilant about criminal activity occurring at their properties.
“It’s time to step up and ensure you’re carrying out basic checks on prospective tenants at your properties,” Atiq says. “Tenants insisting on paying rent in cash or offering to pay more to avoid inspections should ring alarm bells.”
Landlords may end up being liable in the event of a fire or significant damage at their properties. Atiq says there are safety risks for neighbours, given grow houses often use dodgy wiring in its setup.
“We’re continuing to work closely across this sector in working to prevent these operations getting off the ground.”
