KEY POINTS:
Four hundred cannabis plants, with an estimated street value of $400,000, have been found in a police raid on a Bay of Plenty warehouse.
Police discovered the bumper cannabis crop after swooping on the warehouse in Triton Avenue, in the Mt Maunganui industrial area, on Wednesday following a tipoff.
The plants were being grown in a hydroponic operation, inside four shipping containers stored in a warehouse at Mt Maunganui.
Nobody was at the premises when police arrived, Western Bay of Plenty area commander Mike Clement told NZPA
He said three of the four containers had plants growing at different stages of maturity, with the most mature plants being kept in a separate container.
He explained that crops could be grown all year round in these containers, and it was quite a sophisticated indoor operation.
"At this stage, we're unsure if this is part of a bigger operation.
"We completed a thorough investigation of the site on Wednesday and Thursday, and all the plants have been confiscated.
"If these plants were kept in ideal growing conditions and allowed to reach full maturity, they would have been worth $1000 a plant. But they are now worth nothing as they have all been cropped."
Mr Clement appealed to anyone with information to contact Tauranga Police on 07 577 4300 or 0800 773 2580.
- NZPA
