Court hears cannabis crop discovered in Tuan State Forest

An elaborate campsite with a kitchen and bathroom and two swimming pools for irrigation was discovered beside a huge crop of marijuana deep in the Tuan State Forest.

Chad Edward Malcolm Skerke (pictured left), Luke Raymond Turner and Jacquelyn Amanda Kroning (pictured right) pleaded guilty to producing dangerous drugs and possessing anything used in the commission of a drug crime when they faced Maryborough District Court in March 2023.

Police cameras identified three people behind a significant cannabis crop in state forestry where pools were used for irrigation and a secret camp was nearby.

The discovery of the large cannabis crop at Tuan Forest near the Cooloola Coast led police to install the secret cameras to help catch the culprits.

Police identified three people and a raid of the Maryborough home where they lived revealed cannabis stored in every room.

Chad Edward Malcolm Skerke, Luke Raymond Turner and Jacquelyn Amanda Kroning pleaded guilty to producing dangerous drugs and possessing something used in the commission of a drug crime when they faced Maryborough District Court last week.

The court was told Kroning was Turner’s sister and Skerke was her partner and they had all been living in the Granville home.

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It heard that an investigation had commenced after a large cannabis crop was discovered in the Tuan State Forest in 2020.

Footage from the covert cameras cameras showed Turner driving his Landcruiser on the tracks weekly.

Skerke and Kroning were also pictured walking on the track, the court heard.

A map of Tuan State Forest. Photo: Google Maps.

The site was fenced and there was an irrigation system fed by two large above ground swimming pools and water pumps.

A nearby camping site consisted of a kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, covered by tarpaulin and camouflage netting, as well as a drying area for the cannabis, the court heard.

On a visit, the police noticed some of the plants had been harvested and the campsite had been largely dismantled.

They seized 191 cannabis plants from the site, the court was told.

The next day, on March 9, 2022, police executed a warrant at the Granville home where the three lived.

Every room in the house was found to contain cannabis in various stages of packing.

The court heard it could have led to the forfeiture of the home, as the entire house was being used for the production and possession of cannabis.

A grading system had been set up with buckets, and in the bedroom Turner shared with his wife, there were also bags of cannabis.

Large amounts of the drug that was still being sorted was stored throughout the home.

The court heard Turner could faced a more difficult time in prison because of ongoing health issues, while Kroning was helping her daughter care for her grandchild.

The matter was adjourned until March 10, 2023, to be heard before Brisbane District Court.