By ALESHA CAPONE
POLICE are still investigating after confiscating around 100 cannabis plants from a ‘hydrophonic house’ in St Albans.
On 17 October, officers from the Keilor Downs Police Station executed a search warrant at an Ironbark St home.
Apart from the cannabis plants, they also uncovered growing equipment at the residence.
Acting Sergeant Chris White said an investigation into the occupants of the house was ongoing.
Acting Sgt White said there was “limited evidence” at the crime scene to suggest there was someone sitting there and watching the crop”- a “potential crop-sitter”.
He said police found a combination of mature and juvenile plants at the St Albans abode.
Acting Sgt White said a mature cannabis plant could be worth around $8000, although the entire crop from the Ironbark St address was not at this stage.
“Potentially if all the plants had reached full maturity you could have had an $800,000 crop – but many of the plants we took were much smaller,” he said.
When police arrived at the crop-house, they called Brimbank SES in to dismantle an illegal power bypass which had been installed at the property.
The SES also provided lights on-site into the evening, as police officers emptied the home of cannabis plants.
Acting Sgt White said Brimbank police have recently attended “a lot of similar jobs” to the St Albans crop-house.
“People seem to be of the opinion that if they keep renting houses and continuing with this kind of behaviour, they will get away with it – which is definitely not the case,” he said.
“Our blokes just seem to set up in rental houses under whatever names they’re using and fill the rooms with plants and they just keep growing them until the real estate agent realises and clears them out or until the crop reaches maturity.”
Anyone with information about crop-houses can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
