By ALESHA CAPONE
A MAN has been awarded bail after police charged him with cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis including more than 530 plants in Sunshine North.
The man has been also been charged with possessing a drug of dependence, stealing electricity and possessing $1250 suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
Last month the Supreme Court of Victoria heard the Brimbank Divisional Response Unit executed a drug warrant at a Sunshine North factory on 2 September.
Four males were arrested and police discovered more than 530 cannabis plants at the property, with a total weight of more than 250kg.
The court heard a hydroponic set-up had been installed at the factory, operating through an illegal electrical bypass system which was stealing power from the grid.
Judge Dixon said when the man was interviewed by police, he stated it was his first time at the factory and he was only there to help his friend deliver drinks.
Judge Dixon said there were several reasons why the man, a 48-year-old who arrived in Australia from a Malaysian refugee camp during 1988, should receive bail.
“The search of the applicant’s home did not reveal any items of equipment that might be used in trafficking for drugs,” he said.
“There were no signs of extensive wealth.”
Judge Dixon said the man has no prior convictions, has been offered employment at an Asian grocery store close to Keilor Downs Police Station and suffers from diabetes and hypertension.
He said the man is also the sole custodian of his teenage son, who will sit his VCE exams next year.
Judge Dixon said bail of at least $150,000 was required for the man and also imposed several conditions upon the 48-year-old, as he awaits a trial.
The man is not permitted to move away from his Deer Park address without court permission and must report daily at Sunshine Police Station.
