House In Kaleen Growing Cannabis In Its Premises; Police Urged Public To Be Vigilant Of Unattended Properties
In what the police is reportedly terming the biggest drug bust of its kind in the ACT so fat this year, a home with more than 100 cannabis plants inside was found in Canberra's north.
Authorities were called in to the property on Pambula Street in Kaleen about 7:00pm on Thursday. In fact, a report from ActewAGL claiming electricity was being diverted at the property prompted the police to follow the case. Though due to safety reasons, police did not get inside the house until Friday morning, it was kept under overnight police surveillance.
The Next Important Step
Detective Sergeant Shane Scott from ACT's drugs and organised crime team informed the media that the officers didn’t enter the house without a search warranty, but after obtaining the search warrant; his team went inside the house for concrete evidences.
Det Sgt Scott said more than 100 cannabis plants being grown hydroponically were grown inside the property. "The professionalism and scale of this crop is unique for this year... I'd say that this is the largest one we've found this year, definitely," he revealed.
The Property Owner May Not Be The Culprit
Police were still investigating to find out the actual owner of the plants; which wasn’t established until Friday. "We have spoken to the owner of the property. He's no longer part of our inquiries and is assisting us with identifying persons who may be responsible," said Det Sgt Scott.
Meanwhile, he described it as an organised criminal activity, with profits used either to fund other similar activities or going into some individual’s pocket.
He also urged the public to inform the Crime Stoppers whenever they see any properties being used for illicit activities, especially the cultivation of cannabis.
Det Sgt Scott also requested everyone to be vigilant of homes that were not occupied for long periods, with suspicious activities such as trash cans not put out, blinds always down, bright lights inside etc.
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