The scent of illegal activity was in the air for Waitematā Police this week after they sniffed out a vehicle carrying a significant quantity of cannabis plants.
At around 3.10pm on 12 May, officers from the West Area Prevention Unit were travelling through Glendene when they observed a vehicle towing a trailer with its sides covered in tarpaulin screens.
Officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle as it travelled west.
Waitematā West Area Prevention Manager, Acting Inspector Nick Salter, says the vehicle was signalled to stop on Sunnyside Road, Sunnyvale.
“As officers approached the trailer they noticed several cannabis plants through a gap in the covering.
“A search of the vehicle was invoked, and officers located 41 mature cannabis plants, each approximately 1.7 metres in height.”
The vehicle’s four occupants were arrested, and the cannabis was seized to be destroyed.
“These men have tried, and failed, to disguise their illegal activity.
“This is a significant seizure of cannabis which has likely disrupted an illicit drug operation,” Acting Inspector Salter says.
Three men aged 37-39 will appear in Waitākere District Court, charged with possession of cannabis for supply.
A 23-year-old man has been charged with possession of cannabis for supply and driving while disqualified and will appear in Waitākere District Court on 5 June.
Wow, this outrageously heinous criminality needs to be weighed against the systemic crime of systematic undue injustice that is being perpetrated from within The System against the citizens of Godzone, ay? Does the magistrate know how much work needs to go into 41 plants?
No appreciation for natural gardening!
No acknowledgement of the environmental endowment bestowed by the home-gardening operation!
No recognition of personal empowerment through entrepreneurship!
The logistics alone!
Do them judges know what fertilizer costs these days? A sheep from the paddock is cheaper than a bag of blood&bones! Bloody hard work too, the dole barely covering the outgoings. Nobody ‘s been harmed but nature. Life’s not fair.
Why does the government have the police make criminals out of people growing their own plants, when they allow doctors to prescribe cannabis. You are allowed to brew your own beer and distil your own spirits without having to buy them in a pub or shop.