Forest of power cords leads to field of cannabis in Sydney’s south

POLICE have alleged the cultivators of a cannabis crop in Sydney’s south stole electricity from a substation next door to power the massive operation

Supplied image of vast electrical wires found inside an industrial complex where cannabis plants were discovered in Mascot, in Sydney's south, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015. Two men have been charged after more than $2 million worth of cannabis was found in Sydney's south, with officers seizing more than 650 cannabis plants. (AAP Image/NSW Police) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

TWO men have been charged following the discovery of more than $2 million worth of cannabis in an industrial complex in Mascot in Sydney’s south.

A forest of power cords and extension leads was part of an elaborate hydroponic setup cultivating a market garden of marijuana.

Officers seized more than 650 cannabis plants estimated to be worth $2.2 million at the Mascot property on Thursday afternoon.

A 53-year-old man from Footscray in Melbourne’s west and a 38-year-old man from Earlwood in Sydney were arrested after police pulled over a vehicle in Sydenham in Sydney’s inner west.

The two men were taken to Newtown Police Station where they were both charged with cultivating a large commercial quantity of a prohibited plant, while the older man was also charged with using electricity without authority.

What $2m worth of cannabis looks like. Source supplied.

Chief Inspector Bell said the men “obviously had some electrical knowledge” to enable them to steal electricity to power the indoor operation, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

“That [photograph] is one of three blocks of electricity things. They were actually stealing the power from the substation next door.

“There’s always electrical bypasses in these premises because they don’t want to pay the large amounts of costs for running those large factories.”

The pair were refused bail to appear at Central Local Court later today.