Australian police charge 19 people in major cannabis bust

Sydney, Nov 21 Australian police have arrested and charged 19 people after disrupting a major international cannabis operation.

Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday announced that a strike force established in December 2023 has seized cannabis worth more than 80 million Australian dollars (52.1 million U.S. dollars) and arrested 19 people connected to an international organised crime network, Xinhua reported.

The strike force conducted a raid in April 2024 on a property in Kemps Creek, approximately 40 kilometres west of central Sydney, where police identified the property was being used as a purpose-built cannabis farm following the discovery of 16 commercial-sized greenhouses and infrastructure designed to grow cannabis and refine it for distribution. Over 5,400 cannabis plants were found in the property.

Further raids were carried out in May, June, September, October and November.

Over 20,000 cannabis plants and over 586 kilograms of cannabis were seized during the raids.

The 19 people who were arrested, ranging in age from 28 to 64, have been charged with offences including drug cultivation, supply of prohibited drugs and participation in a criminal group.