Cannabis raids: Police weed out Sydney’s online network

A map reveals the full extent of Sydney’s weed network as the Daily Telegraph goes behind the scenes of Strike Force Greentree.

It’s almost 5pm, directly outside the famous Kogarah Oval, when police pounce on a gold SUV. The driver is hauled from the vehicle by two undercover officers and placed in handcuffs.

Approaching the open car door, this journalist is hit with a distinctive odour. The inside smelt like a reggae music festival. A quick search by officers finds dozens of bags of cannabis and edible cookies.

“Where are you from?” police asked the man, who sits on the kerb, his hands covering his face. “Asia … visa,” the man replies.

“Do you speak English?” the officer asks, pulling out his phone and opening the Google Translate app. He is not responding. “Are you here to sell weed… are these cannabis cookies? Weed cookies?”

The man, who was charged with supplying drugs and refused bail, was one of 39 people arrested over the past week, as police from the deliberately named Strike Force Greentree dismantled a brazen online network.

Screenshots from Leafed Out - an online cannabis platform which is being used by thousands of people in Sydney. The green icons are dealers, the blue icons are customers.

The international website “Leafed Out”, first revealed by The Daily Telegraph in July last year, has been used by thousands of Sydney customers to obtain illegal cannabis, with offers of express delivery and a wide variety of products.

It’s understood users pay with Bitcoin to register an account with the platform. Some dealers have been trading under crafty names such as “McJuanna” and “Burnin’ Kush”.

During the blitz, police seized more than 86kg of cannabis, THC-laced edibles including cookies, brownies and a birthday cake with “HBD Harry” written on the front in chocolate icing.

However, authorities hold fears about the items that are specifically targeted at children.

Central Metropolitan Regional Enforcement Squad (South) commander Stuart Bell confirmed police had discovered cannabis lollies wrapped in packaging similar to popular candy, including Nerds Ropes.

THC-laced products in Nerds Ropes packaging seized by Strickforce Greentree. Police fear alleged drug dealers are deliberately targeting children. Picture: Supplied.

A birthday cake, allegedly laced with cannabis, labelled “HBD Harry” was seized by NSW Police. Picture: Supplied.

“We are concerned that minors could be on this website buying these drugs. If they get in the hands of a young child … they may consume them and may end up in hospital, or even worse,” Det Chief Insp Bell said.

As the police operation continued last Wednesday, with this journalist sitting inside a support vehicle, three alleged dealers were busted in Kogarah alone.

A 31-year-old man, Khai Chio, was pulled over on Victoria St, next door to Kogarah High School, and allegedly found with 42 bags of cannabis and $1000 in cash. The man has been charged with drug supply, made to surrender his passport and will appear in court in May.

In the same street, Janelle Bonsu was pulled over and allegedly discovered with 385g of cannabis. The 19-year-old woman has since been convicted of drug supply and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order.

A separate search warrant at a hydroponics business in Arncliffe allegedly uncovered 43kg of cannabis in vacuum sealed plastic bags.

Khai Chio, arrested in Kogarah for alleged drug supply as part of Strike Force Greentree. Chio next appears in court in May. Picture: Supplied

In Bondi, a 55-year-old man allegedly had cannabis, joints and cookies. Later that day, a 35-year-old man was charged with drug supply at picturesque Darling Point, with the Harbour Bridge glistening in the background as police searched his vehicle.

Sydney’s ballooning drug culture and the emergence of people using online platforms such as Leafed Out has forced police to evolve its operations. In December, officers arrested more than 100 people allegedly involved in a “Dial-a-Dealer” syndicate.

“You used to have the dealer standing on the street corner and people would know where to go,” Det Chief Insp Bell said.

“Now, you can order it online to any address.

“It’s a current trend in the community to have the criminal syndicates run like a dial-a-dealer service.

Whether it be cocaine or cannabis, while there is a demand out there there will always be dealers out there coming to deliver it to you.”

Nineteen-year-old Janelle Bonsu arrested in Kogarah has been convicted and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond for drug supply. Pictured alongside Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bell.

While police can use online platforms for intelligence, they are powerless to stop a website from operating. Leafed Out is a global company, used in many countries where cannabis is legal.

eSafety, Australia’s independent online regulator, told this masthead it could “seek removal of seriously harmful material, including material which promotes, incites or instructs in matters of crime or violence.”

However, eSafety said: “Where it is safe to do so, we strongly encourage Australians to report seriously harmful material to the platform … this is often the quickest way to get it taken down.”

The hidden objective of these police operations, in truth, is to catch the low-level alleged suppliers in the hope they lead investigators to the larger criminal syndicates.

Kilograms of cannabis allegedly seized as part of Strike Force Greentree. Picture: NSW Police.

One dealer caught during Strike Force Greentree, while carrying a baby seat in the back of their vehicle, said they were paid $300 per day by a contact they had never met.

“They leave the drugs and a bag of cash for me in a park and I return the money to the same spot,” this person told police.