Police are continuing to have successes weeding out cannabis growing operations in east Auckland homes.
Counties Manukau Police have told the Times they executed “numerous warrants” at residential addresses in the Howick ward last week.
Detective senior sergeant Dean Batey, area investigations manager for Counties Manukau East Police, says the probes into cannabis growing at east Auckland residencies follow successful discoveries over the past four months.
“Counties Manukau East Police have located additional cannabis grow houses operating across the area,” says Batey.
“Seven grow houses were located, including at a house on Galloway Crescent in Farm Cove on December 5.”
Several Times’ readers noticed the police operation at the Galloway Crescent address last Friday and contacted our newsroom.
Batey says, “no arrests were made” at the premises, but “cannabis plants were located throughout the property”.
“A 53-year-old Vietnamese national was arrested at an East Tamaki property and charged with cultivating cannabis.”
Meanwhile, a day earlier on December 4, Batey says other residential properties were inspected using search warrants.
“Grow houses were also located in Eastern Beach, Highland Park, Dannemora, and Howick.
“A 42-year-old Vietnamese national was arrested at the Eastern Beach property.”
Batey confirmed to the Times that in total last week, “a further 1067 plants were destroyed, with $1800 in cash being seized”.
“Police are continuing to shut down these sorts of illegal operations which are nestled into our communities,” he says.
Last week’s successful busts came after police executed nine search warrants at properties in Highland Park and Flat Bush in November.
Officers located a large amount of mature cannabis plants in total, and more than $180,000 in cash was recovered.
In September, police said they had taken more than $58 million out of the hands of organised crime across Auckland, with over 10 tonnes of cannabis being destroyed in a set of well-coordinated operations.
One of the properties raided as part of the full-scale Operation Beryl was in Pakuranga.
Over a month from late July through August, police shut down 120 cannabis grow houses in suburban and rural communities across the region.
Police made 30 arrests in Operation Beryl, most of which were Vietnamese nationals who were being deported.
Almost 130 addresses across Auckland were searched and over $12,000 in cash was recovered, and more than 11,000 plants were destroyed.
If people have information that can assist police identifying cannabis grow houses, they can update them online or call 105.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on free phone 0800 555 111.
