New South Wales police have seized over 2,000 cannabis plants from a property in Schofields, 45 kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD.
NSW police investigators, Quakers Hill Police Area Command and members of the Public Order and Riot Squad (PORS) carried out a search warrant on the semi-rural Schofields property on March 9th. The warrant turned up 2,080 cannabis plants, which detectives estimate has a value of $5.8 million.Â
At the scene, police arrested a 39-year-old woman and two men aged 24 and 29. They were taken to Riverstone Police Station and charged with cultivating a prohibited plant in a large commercial quantity, supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group and using electricity without authority.
The three alleged cannabis-criminals were denied bail and appeared in Blacktown Local Court on March 10th.Â
However, this wasn’t the only large bust carried out on Tuesday.
Early that morning, detectives, PORS, and the Burwood Area Command carried out a 6 am raid on a home in Rhodes. During the raid, police seized mobile phones and an unspecified amount of cannabis.
28-year-old Yao Lim Booman was also arrested and taken to Burwood Police Station. He was charged with 8 offences, including:
- Cultivating a prohibited plant in a large commercial quantity (x2)
- Using electricity without authority (x3)
- Cultivating indoor cannabis for commercial use (x2)
- Knowingly directing a criminal group
According to police, the 28-year-old was directing a massive cannabis syndicate.
Police will allege in court that the man directed the activities of an organised criminal syndicate involved in the large-scale cultivation and supply of cannabis across the state.
The alleged cannabis-kingpin appeared in Burwood Local Court on Tuesday, where he was denied bail.
This week’s raids are the latest efforts of Strike Force Hyperion, which has been targeting cannabis cultivation since April 2020. Last month, Strike Force Hyperion was responsible for an enormous raid at Campbelltown – which saw officers arresting four people and seizing 2,379 cannabis plants worth an estimated $7.1 million.
NSW police are continuing investigations into the cannabis syndicate. The 2,080 cannabis plants they seized will be destroyed.