A cannabis-growing and drying operation in a central Wanganui restaurant was so sophisticated no one in the building could smell the plants.
People dined at the Beijing Chinese restaurant oblivious to a secret drug operation hidden above the toilets. But on the morning of September 6, a police raid uncovered a "large, sophisticated" growing operation in the attic, where more than 200 cannabis plants were in varying stages of growth.
Police originally cut a manhole in the ceiling of the women's toilets before finding a ladder in the men's toilets leading to two growing rooms and a drying room.
Yesterday, Raymond Ng, 54, owner of the Beijing, pleaded guilty in the Whanganui District Court to possessing cannabis, cultivating cannabis for supply and possessing a firearm without a licence.
The police summary of facts stated "a lot of preparation and time had been spent" in developing the operation above the restaurant on the corner of St Hill St and Maria Place.