MORE than 2000 cannabis plants worth $4.3m have been destroyed after crop sites were identified by aerial patrols of the state’s North Coast.
Officers from the Drug Squad, the Dog Unit and Police Air Wing found the cannabis plants this week on private properties and crown land throughout the region.
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Since July last year, Strike Force Hyperion has seized and destroyed a total of more than 11,000 plants with a street value of more than $20 million.
Drug Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Nick Bingham, says the 2011-12 program had so far achieved its objective of disrupting the cannabis supply chain in New South Wales.
“Cannabis with a potential street value of over $20 million has not made it on to the streets of NSW this year, meaning decreased availability and increased prices for illicit drug consumers,” says Detective Superintendent Bingham.
“We are finding that growers are altering their methods to try to hide from police, with a move towards smaller crop sizes to try to avoid detection by the police helicopter, but as the results of this program have shown, it’s no deterrent to us.
“Our methods combine a range of intelligence-based policing strategies with pro-active patrolling which remain highly successful in targeting illegal outdoor cannabis crops.
“Partnered with the NSW Police Force’s ongoing work to detect indoor hydroponic cannabis, this program will continue to put a major dent into the availability of this illicit drug to the streets of NSW,” Detective Superintendent Bingham says.
