Pubdate: Thu, 16 Mar 2000
Source: Illawarra Mercury (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 Illawarra Newspapers
Contact:  http://mercury.illnews.com.au/
Author: Kim Treasure

$2.5M HAUL IN DRUG RAIDS

Three men have been charged and more arrests are expected after a massive
police operation on the Far South Coast that uncovered cannabis with a
street value of more than $2.5million.

The drug plantations in a state forest near Batemans Bay are believed to be
the largest discovered in the region in terms of monetary value.

An anonymous tip-off led police to the first well-organised cannabis
cultivation site deep in the forest earlier this month.

They launched a combined operation under the command of the newly formed
Far South Coast Local Area Command Drug and Property Unit, involving the
Sydney-based State Protection Group, South-East Region State Protection
Support Unit, Batemans Bay detectives, Monaro Drug Unit and Far South Coast
uniform operatives.

When police swooped, a man alleged to be tending the crop while armed with
an automatic weapon was arrested and 426 mature cannabis plants were
seized. They were valued at more than $852,000.

Police also found 13kg of drying cannabis leaf, valued at more than $260,000.

A second large crop was located just days later, with 529 mature plants and
21kg of drying cannabis leaf seized.

Police said a conservative value of the drugs in that raid was just under
$1.5million.

Heavily armed State Protection Group operatives arrested and charged an
allegedly armed man and follow-up inquiries led to the arrest of a third
suspect.

Two of the three men have been remanded in custody. They will appear in
Batemans Bay Local Court on April 3 charged with drug and firearm matters.

A third man has been released on bail and is expected to appear in
Queanbeyan Local Court at the end of the month.

A police spokesman said Operation Riverside would continue, with the
likelihood of further arrests.

The operation is part of an ongoing effort on the Far South Coast targeting
drugs and drug crop eradication.

Police say there have been many arrests and hundreds of cannabis plants
seized - grown both outdoors and hydroponically - during the growing season
from November.

Far South Coast Superintendent John Ambler said he was proud of the
officers involved in the latest drug bust.

"They worked very well under some atrocious conditions," he said yesterday.

"Our anti-theft and drug unit has only just been established and it has
already proven to be very successful with this positive result."
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