Victoria’s ‘choof capital’ revealed

Cannabis seizures have soared amid a boom in the grow house industry, with mountains of weed found in some “leafy” suburban areas.

Cannabis seized in suburban Melbourne as part of Operation Wagon. Picture: Supplied

Cannabis seizures in Victoria have doubled in the past four years amid a boom in the suburban grow house industry.

Mountains of weed are being removed from the busiest areas for hydroponic operations which are often controlled by organised crime syndicates.

A total of 29.2 tonnes was seized statewide in the past year, about one-third of which is fit for the market.

The state’s choof capital was the western police zone which takes in the municipalities of Brimbank and Melton where 5.15 tonnes was confiscated.

Eastern region one, which covers Boroondara, Manningham, Monash and Whitehorse, accounted for 4.68 tonnes.

North west metro four, which takes in Hume, Moonee Valley and Moreland, yielded 3.7 tonnes.

The saleable weed confiscation statewide would be worth about $200m. Picture: Supplied

Those three police divisions make up more than 40 per cent of seizures statewide.

Based on a price of $20 per gram, the saleable weed confiscated statewide would be worth about $200m.

But those numbers are based on crops uncovered and many others go undetected, meaning the value of the illicit market would be much higher.

Many of the busts have been made after firefighters called to blazes found weed crops with shoddy electrical wiring connected to lighting had gone up in flames.

In other cases, power companies which had identified electricity theft or excessive consumption rates provided police with information which led to investigations.

Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Rix of Caulfield divisional response unit said the damage done by the cannabis industry was underestimated.

His office has made several busts of industrial-scale grow houses in factories and warehouses in the southeast in recent years.

“Police see first-hand the impact drugs such as cannabis have on the community each day – whether it’s the drug-affected driver who kills an innocent motorist, the criminal networks boosting their coffers to fund further offending, or the offender who is driven to steal from others to fund a drug dependence,” Sen Sgt Rix said.

“Crop houses also pose a significant community safety risk themselves, with a number of well documented instances of fires in homes that were growing hydroponic cannabis crops.”

A huge crop uncovered in a suburban grow house. Picture: Supplied

Another major ring was dismantled in Melbourne this week as part of operation Wagon.

Police said they seized 650 plants and 10kg of dried product in a series of raids at homes in Brooklyn, Braybrook, Tarneit, Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing, Truganina, Maidstone and Williamstown.

Police said 257 of the plants with an estimated value of $1m were confiscated at a Point Cook last Monday.

A 55-year-old woman was charged with cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis and remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 31.

There have been many other significant operations across Melbourne this year.

In August, detectives from Hume CIU seized about 7000 weighing more than five tonnes as they swooped on 11 factory-style setups.

Caulfield DRU officers found 2500 plants growing inside a factory on De Havilland Rd, Mordialloc, in March.

Last month, more than 300 plants weighing about 267kg were found at an unoccupied property on Maisey Rd, Gembrook.