By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A SPRINGVALE man has been charged over a $1 million cannabis crop discovered in a factory on the Princes Highway last week.
Police from Springvale uniform, Dandenong tasking unit and the Drug Squad’s botany section raided the factory about 7am on Wednesday, seizing 616 cannabis plants of various maturity.
Sergeant Mike Hughes, of Springvale police, said the factory contained a “sophisticated” hydroponic set-up powered by an illegal electrical bypass system.
He said police arrested a 22-year-old man in a neighbouring house in Grace Street, charging him with cultivating a commercial cannabis crop, cannabis possession and trafficking and stealing electricity.
The man was remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
Sergeant Hughes said it wasn’t unusual for factories to be used as cannabis hot-houses.
“They will utilise any premises they can get their hands on.”
Police had been investigating the factory for about a week.
“It looks like a number of crop rotations had gone through the premises: you might find a number of seedlings, a number of small plants and mature plants.”
