Charges grow after raid

A MAN has been charged over a cannabis haul valued at up to $800,000 which was found in a burning Springvale South ‘grow house’.
Detective Sergeant Luke Kirton of Greater Dandenong CIU said police had been alerted by fire crews who had attended a blaze in the building’s roof in Olympic Avenue on 19 July at 5.45pm.
Police found a “hydroponic cannabis cultivation system” in four rooms and seized 221 plants weighing 50 kilograms.
Sergeant Kirton said that fully grown the plants may fetch a street value of between $600,000 and $800,000.
He said grow houses generally posed a “significant risk” to occupants and neighbours due to the risk of fires starting from amateurishly-installed electrical bypass systems that are used to steal power.
“(The public should) be vigilant to people coming and going from rental properties at odd times.”
Tien Nguyen, 21, was charged with cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court next month.