Waikato cannabis operation: Eight arrested after 14 grow houses found
New Zealand police have arrested eight people following the discovery of 14 large-scale indoor cannabis grow houses linked to Vietnamese nationals. The operations involved significant power theft and the modification of residential and commercial properties.
Why it matters
The discovery highlights the scale of organized crime in the illicit drug trade and the risks posed to property owners who unknowingly rent to criminal syndicates.
Police have recovered tonnes of cannabis being grown in large-scale indoor commercial cannabis grow facilities linked to Vietnamese nationals across Waikato.
The Organised Crime Squad found 14 Vietnamese-run grow houses with around 200 to 600 plants in each during multiple searches in recent months – with up to 750kg of cannabis seized at one property alone.
This follows similar recent police operations in Rotorua and Auckland .
Detective Senior Sergeant Nigel Keall said the cannabis operations were also diverting power, stealing up to an estimated $10,000 a month to run the grow premises.
“What we are seeing is rented residential and commercial properties that have been modified and set up as commercial grow operations with ventilation systems to mask the smell and water reticulation.”
Five Vietnamese nationals were arrested at one property on August 19 and all are facing charges of cultivating cannabis for supply.
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