Police seize $11.5m marijuana haul in Gunalda drug raid

Police have seized thousands of marijuana plants from a rural property north of Gympie as part of a statewide drug operation taking in Townsville and Cairns that resulted in almost 1000 charges being laid.

On September 12, Drug and Serious Crime Group detectives executed a search warrant at a rural property at Gunalda, north of Gympie. Officers located 6 greenhouses each 80 metres in length and 10 metres wide, containing 2284 cannabis plants and more than 6.9kg of dried cannabis.

More than $11 million worth of marijuana has been seized by police at a Gunalda property following a raid as part of a statewide crackdown.

Police said on Tuesday, September 12, officers working as part of Operation Vitreus executed a search warrant at the property 30km north of Gympie.

Six 80m-long greenhouses were found at the property, each 10m wide and housing 2284 marijuana plants and 6.9kg of the dried out drug.

“Sophisticated hydroponic equipment” was also found at the site, police said.

The total value of the items seized was about $11.5 million.

The total value of the marijuana and items seized during a raid at a Gunalda property was about $11.5 million, police said.

Nobody was home at the time of the raid, and police said investigations were continuing.

The raid was part of a wider crackdown across the state which led to about $13 million in drugs being taken off the market, and 442 people charged with 981 offences.

Operation Vitreus is a nationwide, multi-jurisdictional operation.

From September 11-15, 2023, police executed 94 search warrants and seized 1.2kg of methylamphetamine, 2320 cannabis plants, 11.5kg of marijuana 700g of MDMA, 6g of heroin, 77g of cocaine and $134,380 cash.

Elsewhere in the state the postal system emerged as a potential distribution system, with police alleging attempts were made to have drugs delivered through it.

Twenty-seven packages were seized from postal facilities in Cairns and Townsville containing drugs including methamphetamine, MDMA, GHB, cannabis, cocaine, prescription drugs and steroids.

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More than 2200 marijuana plants were seized by police in the raid at the Gunalda property on Tuesday, September 12.

Investigations into the origin of these packages were ongoing.

The same day as the Gunalda raid, police at Mooroobool, Cairns, allegedly found 350g of methamphetamine at a man’s unit during a search.

The 27-year-old man was charged with three counts of possessing dangerous drugs.

He will appear at Cairns Magistrates Court on September 28.

State Drug Squad Detective Inspector Bradley Phelps said the public had been invaluable in the latest arrests and charges.

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A 27-year-old man at Cairns has been charged with possessing dangerous drugs and two counts of possessing dangerous drug following a police search at his unit on the same day as the raid at Gunalda was carried out.

“These criminal syndicates producing drugs make money off the vulnerable to benefit themselves and fund serious and violent crimes that risk the safety of innocent members of the public,” Detective Inspector Phelps said.

“Organised crime is insidious and knows no borders, while this action has cost alleged offenders $13 million, police will not stop there.

“Members of the public are our eyes and ears, and we appeal to anyone who has any information which could assist investigations, no matter how small, to come forward.”

Originally published as Police seize $11.5m marijuana haul in Gunalda drug raid