Marajuana Hydroponics Man Jailed
A LUDMILLA man was caught with an elaborate hydroponics set-up when an off-duty detective caught a whiff of it while inspecting a house for sale.
The house-hunting detective became suspicious there was cannabis being grown in the Wells St house when he noticed a locked bedroom door during the inspection with a real estate agent.
"It wasn't just your ordinary lock, the door was deadlocked and that was the main factor that raised my suspicions," the Drug Enforcement Section detective said.
"There was also a slight odour that was consistent with what you would expect with plants growing.
"I thought it was a bit strange the door was locked but the real estate agent just said there was personal stuff in there."
Further investigations by the detective during the inspection only heightened his suspicions after seeing two air-conditioners feeding into the room.
There were also pipes running into the bedroom window and black plastic behind the curtain to keep out natural light.
Drug Enforcement unit members returned to the house last Monday with a search warrant and seized 15 cannabis plants from the bedroom after breaking the deadlock.
A further 1.1kg of cannabis was seized during a search of the house.
The real estate agent, who showed several people through the property on Saturday, said the first he knew of the hydroponics room was when police contacted him yesterday.
"I had no idea," he said. "It's not the sort of thing you expect to find when you are preparing a house for sale."
A 38-year-old tenant was charged with cultivating cannabis, cultivating a trafficable quantity of cannabis, possessing cannabis, supplying cannabis and administering a dangerous drug to himself.
He was bailed to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court at a later date
The house-hunting detective became suspicious there was cannabis being grown in the Wells St house when he noticed a locked bedroom door during the inspection with a real estate agent.
"It wasn't just your ordinary lock, the door was deadlocked and that was the main factor that raised my suspicions," the Drug Enforcement Section detective said.
"There was also a slight odour that was consistent with what you would expect with plants growing.
"I thought it was a bit strange the door was locked but the real estate agent just said there was personal stuff in there."
Further investigations by the detective during the inspection only heightened his suspicions after seeing two air-conditioners feeding into the room.
There were also pipes running into the bedroom window and black plastic behind the curtain to keep out natural light.
Drug Enforcement unit members returned to the house last Monday with a search warrant and seized 15 cannabis plants from the bedroom after breaking the deadlock.
A further 1.1kg of cannabis was seized during a search of the house.
The real estate agent, who showed several people through the property on Saturday, said the first he knew of the hydroponics room was when police contacted him yesterday.
"I had no idea," he said. "It's not the sort of thing you expect to find when you are preparing a house for sale."
A 38-year-old tenant was charged with cultivating cannabis, cultivating a trafficable quantity of cannabis, possessing cannabis, supplying cannabis and administering a dangerous drug to himself.
He was bailed to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court at a later date
posted by Yonner at 12:52 PM
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