New South Wales may have set a new record after dismantling an enormous cannabis operation on a rural property located roughly two hours north of Dubbo.
On Tuesday, January 18th, detectives from Strike Force Harthouse raided a property in the tiny town of Dandry. According to police, someone had illegally cleared 90,000 square metres of land on the property to house twenty greenhouses full of cannabis. The property is located on Newell Road.
So far, police have seized 19,082 cannabis plants from the property, which weighed in at around 11.5 tonnes. The plants were in various stages of maturity and are estimated to be worth $66.8 million together.
Drug and Firearms Squad Commander Detective Superintendent John Watson says that the Dandry operation was so extensive it is “believed to be a national record.”
A lot of money has been invested into the property, which we allege existed purely for cannabis cultivation. In terms of scale, this is one of the largest and most commercial cannabis enterprises we’ve seen….
He elaborated that the property housed commercial generators, earth-moving equipment and two large dams. It would have required workers seven days a week to keep it running.
Six people police allege were involved with the farm were arrested at the raid on Tuesday. The group, which includes five men and one woman, were aged between 23 and 42. They were all charged with cultivating a large commercial quantity of a prohibited plant, taking part in cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis and participating in a criminal group. They faced Coonamble Local Court on Wednesday the 19th and were refused bail.
NSW police say that the Strike Force Harthouse’s investigation into the Dandry operation is “expected to continue over the coming days.” Strike Force Harthouse was established in 2019 and has led to the seizure of 69,654 cannabis plants worth over $217 million.
