Residents of the Southern Tablelands, NSW, will have a fire to warm their hands on this week after NSW’s Rural Fire Service lit up $8.6 million of cannabis.
The cannabis was uncovered by NSW police on Tuesday, after they executed a search warrant on a home on Old Macquarie Road, Brayton. The property was home to just over 2800 cannabis plants, as well as three men.
The three men, Vo Mahn, An Tran and Cuong Le were arrested, and charged with the Cultivation of a Prohibited Plant in a Large Commercial quantity. According to the NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act, a ‘Large Commercial’ quantity is any amount over 1,000 cannabis plants. That’s a lot of cannabis.
After the raid, the three men were taken to Goulburn Police Station. It appears that Goulburn Police Station has been busy with cannabis cases, as they recently processed two other Vietnamese men. The men were arrested after a raid on a Wingello property uncovered $4 million dollars worth of cannabis. This cannabis was also incinerated by the NSW Rural Fire Service.
If found guilty in district court, the three men face $550,000 fines, and 20 years prison each. The men aged 31, 31 and 33 have been refused bail, after facing the Wollongong Local Court. They are currently awaiting their July 22nd court date.
This case is just one of many large cannabis busts this year after NSW police seized over $31.5 million dollars worth of cannabis in April.
Although NSW Police are proud of their efforts, NSW residents are increasingly annoyed. One Goulburn Post reader had some (surprisingly wordy) adjectives to throw at the situation, saying:
Don’t let actual Police work interfere with your weekly Govt quota of Vexatious ADVO arrests! – Joe.
Another commenter wrote:
This disgraceful persecution of cannabis must end now! Prohibition and persecution are the crimes here – not growing or using it. – Max
However, it seemingly takes an $8.6 million dollar cannabis bust to bring out the best jokers, with another commenter joking:
Once again farmers are being persecuted. – Alexzander