Police cut down 5,700 cannabis plants in Nelson and Marlborough raids
Police in Nelson Bays and Marlborough seized more than 5,700 cannabis plants from over 165 plots during ground and air searches around 15 March 2009, some plants nearly four metres tall. Sixteen people were arrested in Nelson and five in Marlborough; Sergeant Steve Savage said commercial-scale growers had been active in the area.
🇳🇿 Nelson Bays and Marlborough, South Island · New Zealand
Nearly 6,000 cannabis plants were removed after police raids in the top of the South Island, the
Otago Daily Times reported on Sunday 15 March 2009.[1]Nelson Bays officers searched by ground and
air with an Air Force Iroquois helicopter and found more than 165 plots.[1]
Police cut down more than 5,700 plants, some almost four metres high; officers attributed the height
to good growing conditions.[1]Sixteen people were arrested in Nelson and five in Marlborough.[1]Sergeant Steve Savage said large plots appeared to be run on a significant commercial scale and
that “this year we’ve noticed it more than ever.”[1]The brief report does not list charges or
individual defendants.[1]
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