$55 million worth of cannabis seized at Lake Bathurst property

Five people have been charged after a large-scale cannabis site was found on a property in the Southern Tablelands.

Five people have been denied bail for their alleged roles in a large-scale cannabis operation estimated to be worth $55 million in street value, found at a property in the Southern Tablelands.

Four men, Vinh Trong Vu, 27, Hung Dao, 50, Khien Vu, 52, Song Van Tran, 54 and woman, Mai Nguyen, 59, did not appear via audiovisual links for their matters on Wednesday at Goulburn Local Court.

They were each charged with one count of cultivating a prohibited plant of a commercial quantity.

$55 million worth of cannabis was seized by police.

During the search of the rural property by police at Lumley Rd, Lake Bathurst, 20,900 cannabis plants were seized.

Strike force detectives from the Hume Police District executed a search warrant on Tuesday morning, where they found the large-scale cannabis set-up.

They were assisted by local detectives throughout the operation by PolAir, the Rural Crime Prevention Team, the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad and specialist forensic police.

Not long after the search, the five people were arrested and taken to Goulburn Police Station.

All the plants were certified by an agronomist and have since been destroyed.

Police units disposed of the cannabis plants by burning them. Picture: NSW Police Media

Court documents state Vinh Trong Vu is a Bankstown local, while everyone else lives on the property in Lake Bathurst.

Investigators are working with the Department of Home Affairs regarding the visa status of the group.

All five will front Goulburn Local Court for their committals on April 6.

The search was a result of looking into large-scale cultivation of cannabis throughout the local area, under Strike Force Croze, which was established in May 2020 by officers from The Hume Police District.

Investigations under the operation are continuing.