Australian cult leader arrested for drugs

[nugget]

Author: Steve Gee

Date: 19 July 06

Source: The Hobart Mercury

Copyright: © Davies Bros

 

THE Australian leader of celebrity religious sect Kabbalah was arrested on drugs charges yesterday after police allegedly found cannabis crops growing inside three luxury Sydney properties owned by the woman and her three sons.

 

Detectives said Gilla Mogilevsky, 53, and her sons, aged 23, 24, and 26, rented a renovated St Ives property in Sydney's North Shore which they used to oversee three neighbouring homes where they grew up to 1000 plants at a time.

 

Police swooped on the Kabbalah leader and two of her sons at about 6.30am (AEST) after raids on the properties in Cowan Rd and Killeaton St.

 

A third son was detained on the Gold Coast.

 

The arrests came as the New South Wales Government this week tightened legislation on hydroponic cannabis, allowing growers to be charged with cultivating commercial quantities for significantly smaller crops.

 

 

 

Ms Mogilevsky and her sons are facing a maximum 20 years in jail on charges of cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis.

 

Police allegedly found around 1000 plants growing in three properties.

 

Two of the properties were side-by-side. The other two were adjoined.

 

It was believed the family simply jumped over back fences to monitor the three crops.

 

Detectives said three of the properties had been bought in the past 12 months, while the family allegedly lived and ran the operation from a nearby fourth property, which was rented.

 

The homes were believed to be valued at up to $1 million each.

 

Officers discovered 616 plants in one property alone, all potted and growing under lights.

 

At two of the homes, plants reaching more than 2m high could be clearly seen through the front window, once police swooped and curtains were drawn.

 

A further 4.5kg of dried-out cannabis was also recovered.

 

The Daily Telegraph has learned police were alerted by residents complaining of a smell coming from the properties.

 

Officers from the NSW Crime Command drug squad and Ku-ring-gai patrol had been investigating since April.

 

Police seized a speed boat and several cars under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

 

Not good, 20 years

 

How could you be so silly as to run a 1000 plant setup and NOT use odour control though..

 

Is it too early in the morning for me, or did I know nothing about this 'tightening of legislation' in NSW?

 

[pipeman]

When will these idiots start making some sensible laws to deal with indoor growing? Well the most sensible law would be to have no law at all, but its too early in the day for pipe dreams...

 

Plant numbers are irrelavent, legislation defining punishments based on plant numbers is from a time when outdoor growing was the norm. This line of thinking cannot be applied to indoor growing because of the very different growing styles that are used.

 

I say decriminalise all grows under 1000watts of total light power which includes every grow light you have set up from cloning to flower. Anything above that they can start to hand out more serious criminal charges.

 

Its so simple, and would very effectively separate the personal growers from the commercial growers in the law, which I assume is what everyone wants.

[jaguarrh]

crikey nugget, have you been living under a rock or in an irc chat room for the last few months...

 

there has been quite a few little bits on the news about the strengthening of the hydro laws recently..

 

How could you be so silly as to run a 1000 plant setup and NOT use odour control though..

 

i was wondering about that too, they must have had some odour control... maybe just not sufficient??

they would be mad to have over 600 plants in one property without it imo

 

anyhoo, too late now...

 

did you see the vision on ch ten news last nite, hundreds of ballasts and trees twice the size of the coppers carrying them...