Drug lords on $1m a week

[boulder]

MELBOURNE drug barons are making more than $1 million a week from illicit cannabis plantations hidden in suburban homes.

 

Police have identified several major organised syndicates operating up to 40 so-called crop houses at one time.

 

And two murders have been linked to the burgeoning illicit trade after cannabis and hydroponic production equipment were found at the scenes of both.

 

A Sunday Herald Sun investigation also found:

 

DRUG syndicates can produce a staggering $5 million worth of cannabis in a single production cycle of six to 10 weeks by using sophisticated networks of crop houses.

 

THE lucrative facilities are flourishing in Melbourne's western suburbs and most of the main players are Vietnamese.

 

THE Victoria Police Major Drug Investigation Division is raiding crop houses at an average rate of one per fortnight.

 

Drug division investigators say there are between 100 and 300 plants in each house, with each plant yielding $4000 worth of cannabis.

 

MDID Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Caulfield said crop house networks were becoming more common.

 

"Criminals are starting to recognise how much money can be made from this," said Det Snr Sgt Caulfield. "There has been a dramatic growth in this trend in the past 12 to 24 months."

 

The syndicates are producing cannabis volumes not seen since the late 1980s, when outdoor plantations were booming.

 

Now, syndicate leaders rent homes specifically as production facilities and employ gardeners to manage the crops.

 

MDID Chief Detective Inspector Robert Hill said criminals were looking for new ways to make profits during the heroin drought.

 

"Heroin is no longer at the epidemic proportions that it was in the late '90s, so they've turned to other illicit drugs to make their profits," he said.

 

The shift from bush plantations to city crop houses comes as drug producers work to minimise the risk of being caught.

 

In the past six months, Victoria Police has processed 94 people for cannabis cultivation in the western suburbs.

 

There have been at least two murders in the past two years where drugs and equipment were found in the homes of the victims, but police would not to comment on whether the killings were drug-related.

 

Last month, police found cannabis and production equipment in the home of Robert D'Amico, who was shot dead during a raid at Tullamarine.

 

Hydroponic equipment and drugs were found in the Williamstown home of murdered electrician Denis Giunta in February last year.

 

The current Australian Illicit Drug Report expects the boom in cannabis production to continue as demand grows.

 

It says cannabis costs about $25 for 1.5 grams in urban areas. But hydroponic cannabis, known for its superior quality, fetches a higher price.

 

Cannabis is the most widely-used illicit drug in Australia with a third of the population having used it at least once, the report says.

 

Sunday Herald Sun

[Maynard]

Jesus....$4000 a plant, 100 - 300 plants....$1,000,000

Thats crazy;) But I guess all is good, when there a "bigger fishies" out there the piggies wont worry about 2 or 3 plants in a backyard or hydro setup, right?

hopefully anyways

[Guest Guest]

Cannabis is the most widely-used illicit drug in Australia with a third of the population having used it at least once, the report says.

 

Sunday Herald Sun

So statistically, 1/3 of every "official" including members of federal parliament, admit to smoking pot?

I wonder how many haven't.

 

Admitted it that is.

 

Wake up people.

 

How many of them didn't enjoy it?

It's about time it was decriminalised nationally, at worst.

If everyone that wanted to grow it was allowed less than 10 plants, 5 would probably be sufficient, you'd find much of the problems associated with MJ, most of em inaccurate, and others down right bloody amusing, would steadily decline.