Puling the plug on a drug dungeon

[keepleft]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/st...55E2862,00.html

 

Bathroom blitz

Geoff Wilkinson

28mar06

 

Pulling the plug on a drug dungeon

A SECRET witness under police protection was involved in a sophisticated hydroponic marijuana crop growing under a suburban house, a court heard yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The court was told the 134kg crop was grown in an underground room reached only through a trapdoor hidden under a bathtub.

Police who raided the house in Yellow Gum Blvd, Sunbury, knew there was a crop on the property but took 2 1/2 hours to find it.

 

The court heard the discovery was made only after a sharp-eyed officer, who had recently renovated his home, noticed there was no silicone beading around the edge of the bathtub.

 

In a taped telephone conversation played to the County Court, the protected witness threatened to cut off a man's legs unless he was paid money he claimed he was owed by one of three other men charged over the crop.

 

Judge David Morrow was told the protected witness, who can be referred to only as "166", was involved with "very serious elements of organised crime in this city".

 

Tim Marsh, the barrister representing one of the charged men, said the tape showed that 166 was a "frightening, cold, overbearing man".

 

The court was told that Mr Marsh's client, Robert Johanson, was the "crop sitter" at the Sunbury house.

 

Mr Marsh said Johanson, 41, was a cannabis addict who owed 166 thousands of dollars.

 

Johanson, 41, has pleaded guilty to cultivating a commercial quantity of a drug of dependence and theft of electricity.

 

Rocco Felice, 43, and his brother Frank, 31, have pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence and theft of electricity.

 

Prosecutor John Saunders said the Felices were involved in a joint criminal enterprise with 166.

 

The Herald Sun reported last month that 166 was also charged, but given indemnity against prosecution as part of a deal he did with police in return for his evidence against underworld figure Mario Condello.

 

Firearms charges against 166 were also withdrawn as part of his $1 million protection deal with Victoria Police.

 

Condello was murdered outside his Brighton home last month, the day before his trial for incitement to murder was due to start.

 

The court heard yesterday the Felices were involved with four hydroponic crops between June and November 2003 in houses at Albanvale, Taylors Lakes, Sunbury and Maidstone.

 

The electricity supply had been bypassed to provide free power for all four crops -- one of them in a shed at their father's home in Maidstone.

 

Mr Saunders said the brothers provided the technical know-how, hardware and supervision of the crops.

 

He said the Felices both had keys to the Sunbury house and their cars had been seen there.

 

He said the "wet" weight of the Sunbury crop was 134.6kg, but that included branches and stalks. The dry weight of the usable parts, the seed heads and leaves, was 19.4kg.

 

A commercial quantity of cannabis is set by the law at anything over 25kg.

 

Outside court, police said the Sunbury crop would have been worth more than $250,000 if sold on the street.

 

They said the hydroponic set-up under the house was "as good as they get".

 

Mark Rochford, representing Rocco Felice, told the court telephone intercept tapes showed that 166 and his partner were involved with the Sunbury crop.

 

"It's his crop and she's keeping an eye on it," Mr Rochford said.

 

He said on another tape 166 had offered to sell another crop sitter -- "literally sell him, as though he's a slave" -- for $25,000.

 

The plea hearing was to continue today.

 

 

 

 

these guys were dogged by their own partner!

 

lesson to be learned - its not stealing the power, or the size of the crop which gets u done, its big mouths

[SukonmiSkunk]

sounds to me that 166 needs a bullit, what a fuck wit. To drag down all that pot......they would never had found it, and for them to not even prosecute is just rediculas.. he wont last long

[boomstix]

He said on another tape 166 had offered to sell another crop sitter -- "literally sell him, as though he's a slave" -- for $25,000.

 

that bit bothers me.

 

this isn't some hippies growing dope

 

this is evil people doing evil shit to make money.

 

unless anyone can explain to me how its ok to sell someone?

[keepleft]

i dont think the crop sitter is an 'actual slave'!

 

it would be someone who can be trusted to a certain degree. as he/she would be in the house taking care of things. an actual slave would definitely run away ha ha

 

asians do this often. they set up a whole house with 35,000 watts or thereabouts. have an old man / lady in their hand feeding the run to waste coco pots. the old man / lady gets something for their effort.

[Stoney]

this is some serious shit i agree with ss Mr 166 sound like an absolute wanker and does deserve a bullet and i dont think he willlast that long on the street doesn't matter how nasty he thinks he is there is always a leak of identity and he involved in the high stakes drug world.

the type of people involved in this world just dont like informers ha ha ha mr 166 better get him self a vest.

 

shame shame shame cant believe all that weed gone to waste

[WantDaChronic]

that guy wont last long at all and what a waste of weed

[raverspec]

What a fucking legend hiding it that well.