A 22-year-old man from Caroline Springs was arrested after police dismantled a large cannabis crop house at a home in Chelsea, which followed an investigation into an alleged organised crime syndicate.
Police executed a search warrant at the home on Newington Parade at 7.30am on Wednesday, July 8.
It will be alleged the sophisticated set up spanned the entirety of the property – eight rooms in total – with investigators seizing more than 200 cannabis plants of varying maturity.
The commercial quantity of the plants has an estimated potential street value of approximately $1.5 million.
Sergeant Stuart Burnham said the maturity and number of plants seized showed the crop house had been undetected for a long period of time
“Crop houses can often go undetected for long periods of time…it’s for this reason that we ask residents to let us know if they suspect anything unusual at a neighbouring property,” he said.
“This can sometimes – but not always – include windows blacked out, lights always on in certain rooms at all hours, excessive external wiring or cables, as well as rare sightings of the resident, which is often at unusual hours.
“If you do suspect something, please make a report via Crime Stoppers and we will investigate. Remember, you can do this anonymously.”
The Caroline Springs man was charged with cultivating a drug of dependence and may face additional charges pending further analysis of the seized plant material.
He was granted bail to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on August 1.
