New South Wales police have charged a man with a handful of offences after they seized a multimillion-dollar cannabis crop from two homes in Sydney’s west.
On Wednesday, the 30th of June, officers from the Penrith Regional Enforcement Squad executed a search warrant on two homes on Third Avenue, Seven Hills. Inside the homes (which sit side-by-side), police located a total of 561 cannabis plants. Police allege that the plants were found growing in two hydroponic setups that stretched across the homes.
Police believe the cannabis they seized has a potential street value of over $2 million. As Australian police seized $203 million in cannabis in 2020, the Seven Hills crop is likely one of this year’s larger busts.
NSW police arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with the Seven Hills cannabis crop. He was arrested as he exited one of the properties and was later taken to Blacktown Police Station.
Police charged him with two counts of cultivating a prohibited plant in a large commercial quantity and two counts of using, consuming and wasting electricity without authority. He was denied bail and appeared in Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, the 1st of July.
The Seven Hills grow houses were investigated as part of Strike Force Cansa, which was set up in May 2021 to investigate cannabis cultivation and supply in Sydney’s northwest.
Police will continue their investigations with Strike Force Cansa, and the cannabis police seized in Seven Hills will be destroyed. Though $2 million in cannabis may seem like a lot, it’s only a small fraction of Australia’s black market – which is currently worth over $14.8 billion.
