Police in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty destroyed more than 20,000 cannabis plants and made 99 arrests during a major four-week operation across the district.[1][2] Officers targeted mainly rural outdoor growing sites, finding plots ranging from a handful of plants to more than 700.[1]

The operation ran across all four areas of the police district: Eastern Bay of Plenty, Western Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupo.[1][2] Officers executed 169 urban and rural search warrants, and those arrested faced a variety of charges.[1][2] The warrants also netted other drugs, cash, firearms and stolen property.[1]

During one warrant in Taneatua, police recovered 1,200 grams of precursor products valued at 50,000 dollars and capable of producing methamphetamine worth an estimated 225,000 to 337,000 dollars, along with more than 40,000 dollars in cash, methamphetamine, LSD tablets, a firearm and ammunition.[1] The head of the operation, Detective Senior Sergeant Lindsay Pilbrow, put the estimated saving in social harm at about 52 million dollars.[1] Police said several of the warrants were linked to organised criminal groups involved in large-scale production, distribution and sale of illicit drugs.[1]