Police say they have seized a stack of cannabis from Auckland addresses. Photo: Supplied/ Police
Police have found more than 3000 cannabis plants in a series of raids on organised crime targets in Auckland, they say.
More than 30 properties were searched in the Counties Manukau, Auckland City and Waitemata police districts, and 11 people were arrested, police said in a statement.
The busts carried out last week, focused on an organised crime group which was using residential properties "to set-up sophisticated indoor cannabis growing systems".
Eleven people were arrested, and officers discovered "a significant seizure of illegal drugs", Acting Detective Inspector Greg Brand said.
All together they found 3385 cannabis plants and 48 kilograms of dried cannabis, valued at an estimated $18 million in total.
Most of those arrested were in New Zealand illegally, and as a result, 11 people were deported to Vietnam. However, more arrests could not be ruled out.
"This group were cultivating and dealing in large amounts of cannabis and their actions mirror similar operations recently uncovered in Australia where criminal groups, primarily of Vietnamese descent, were running a large number of indoor cannabis growing operations," Brand said.
Grow operations created dangerous fire hazards - police
The group had carried out substantial modifications on rental properties, and set up "extremely dangerous electrical installations", that were a dangerous fire risk, Brand said.
"Often the properties used by these groups will appear innocuous and will not really attract neighbours' attention.
But "not only is this extremely dangerous and creates a significant fire risk, we'd estimate millions of dollars' worth of electricity is being stolen every year to run these operations.
"Make no mistake, these syndicates are well connected to gangs and this cannabis is a large source of income for their illegal operations."
Police were also concerned about the potential exploitation of migrant communities in Aotearoa, and were working with Immigration New Zealand to learn more.
Tell-tale signs
Landlords should be vigilant of suspicious activity on their rental properties, police said.
They recommend regular property inspections, thorough vetting of potential new tenants, and asking for two forms of photo ID: "sight the original document, compare the photo with the applicant".
Electricity meters being tampered with, and deliveries of hydroponic growing nutrients such as 'easy grow', and fertiliser bags were also signs to watch out for.
They asked anyone who saw suspicious activity to call 105, make a report online at police.govt/use-105 or anonymously through Contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
