Marijuana gangs go indoors

[Tom]

DRUG gangs are gutting suburban houses and building massive rural sheds to grow their marijuana as the hide-and-seek battle with police intensifies.

 

Improved aerial surveillance has forced growers to abandon massive outdoor crops and move indoors where they are using sophisticated hydroponic techniques to grow super-strength cannabis.

Police say gangs are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on properties and equipment.

 

In some cases, interior walls of homes as well as furniture and fittings are being removed to maximise the growing area under special intense lighting and temperature controls.

 

Hydroponic cannabis is more potent than marijuana grown outdoors and sells for double the price.

 

Gold Coast detectives acting on tip-offs this week raided several properties and seized crops worth hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of an operation targeting indoor hydroponic set-ups.

 

Burleigh's CIB chief, Det-Insp Jim Keogh, told The Sunday Mail: "We've been having a bit of a backyard blitz. The move from outdoor areas to indoor crops hasn't paid dividends because of the vigilance of the community and we're thankful for that."

Coast detectives on Monday found 3kg of dried cannabis and 100 plants with an estimated street value of $274,000 which had been growing in a gutted Burleigh house. Fertilisers and chemicals were stored inside.

 

On Thursday, more cannabis plants were found growing at a property in the hinterland.

 

A 33-year-old Coast man was later interviewed by police and charged on Friday with several drug offences. He is expected to appear in Southport Court in the next few days.

 

Det-Insp Keogh said police were checking links between illicit drug dealers and hydroponic supply stores.

 

The Gold Coast raids reinforce findings in the latest Australian Illicit Drug report which noted the recent increase in the detection of hydroponic cannabis operations.

 

"Hydroponic cannabis can be grown all year round and produces a higher yield of 'head' or 'buds' in a shorter time," the Australian Bureau of Crime Intelligence report said.

 

Author:Paul Weston

Date:September 11, 2005

Source:The Sunday Mail (Qld)

Copyright:2005 News Limited

 

Hydroponic cannabis is more potent than marijuana grown outdoors and sells for double the price.

Yeah sure, I think someone is dribbling shit here.

Coast detectives on Monday found 3kg of dried cannabis and 100 plants with an estimated street value of $274,000 which had been growing in a gutted Burleigh house.

They would need to have been pretty big plants.

Det-Insp Keogh said police were checking links between illicit drug dealers and hydroponic supply stores.

Why would dealers have links to hydro stores, it's the growers that use them? This could turn into a problem though, glad I don't live in Qld, may as well move to the USA as live there.

 

"Hydroponic cannabis can be grown all year round and produces a higher yield of 'head' or 'buds' in a shorter time," the Australian Bureau of Crime Intelligence report said.

Well finally, they got something right, probably just a lucky guess though.