Hundreds of cannabis plants found at Papakura home

File photo / NZ Herald

Police have arrested a 35-year-old man after busting open a large drug operation with more than 260 cannabis plants at a Papakura home.

Police arrived at the residence on an unrelated matter and smelt cannabis, police said.

They seized almost 1.4kg of dried cannabis as well as 268 plants in various stages of maturity.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rod Honan of Papakura CIB said it was one of the more sophisticated set-ups police had found recently.

"From the outside of this property nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary," Mr Honan said.

"It's really important that people report all suspicious behaviour to Police. In this case, it was just by luck that officers were able to uncover what was going on and get the drugs off our streets."

The investigation is ongoing.

Property and drug-related crime was being targeted by Counties Manukau Police in an ongoing effort to reduce offending in the area, Mr Honan said.

Information from the public was vital to its success and the police are always keen to hear from anyone with information, he said.

Contact your local police station or call the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.