By Helena Adeloju
Police are appealing for assistance to “break the back” of the cannabis industry’s grow house operations, after a home in Pakenham was raided last week as part of the Drug Task Force’s Operation Chronos.
Operation Chronos is a joint operation between the Drug Task Force and regional investigators focusing on the detection of cannabis crop houses and associated organised crime syndicates across Victoria.
Police from the Dandenong Divisional Response Unit executed three search warrants in Melbourne’s south-east last week as part of the operation.
Officers raided properties on Thwaites Road, Pakenham, and Tangerine Drive and Harrington Drive, Narre Warren South – all typical suburban streets – early on Thursday 15 June.
A 47-year-old Hallam man was arrested after he was found hiding inside an alleged crop house on Harrington Drive.
He has been charged with cultivating a narcotic plant and has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday 28 July.
Police spokesman Acting Sergeant Alistair Parsons said the three raids came under the same operation but are not necessarily linked.
Last week police described Melbourne as the “engine room of the nation’s cannabis industry,” also revealing that Albanian and Vietnamese syndicates are increasingly targeting outer suburbs and rural areas to evade police surveillance.
“We have noticed an increase in the use of outer metropolitan and rural areas,” he said.
“These properties present a deadly risk, because illegal wiring can cause fires and electrocution.”
Between March and last Thursday, Drug Taskforce officers had raided more than 77 properties and arrested 27 suspects.
They had also seized more than 10,000 plants weighing well over four tonnes. The weight is nearly eight times the total haul for 2014-15.
Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Steve Fontana reaffirmed that police were resolved to “break the back of the industry”.
In the wake of recent local raids, police have issued a tips list to help Cardinia residents spot potential grow houses and assist them in their investigations.
Police are also calling on real estate agents who manage rental properties to report suspicious activities.
* Homes or garages whose windows are constantly blocked out, or have curtains pushed hard against them.
* A large number of power cables connected to a garage or house
* Home occupants who come and go, and never appear to live there.
* A large number of vehicles parking for short times outside a house, typically during the day.
* Strong odours, or the sound of fans humming.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
