A three day police cannabis eradication program saw 2617 plants worth $5.23 million plucked from hidden bushland in Bellingen, up to the Dorrigo plateau, with Nymboida being a hotspot.
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The record haul was part of Strike Force Hyperion, a program involving the NSW Drug Squad, supported by Coffs/Clarence LAC and Police Air Wing.
Ending the annual eradication program, Coffs/Clarence crime manager Detective Inspector Darren Jameson said the message is clear; cannabis is evil.
“Despite being hampered by one and half days of bad weather, the crews worked tirelessly to ensure that a large quantity of this insidious drug does not hit the streets,” Det Inspector Jameson said.
“The issue with cannabis is that there is some who want to elevate this evil into the community as being good or safe, but the reality is that this view is without fact.
“With children as young as nine being caught with the cannabis, the peddlers of this evil who want to say that the drug is safe, are really trying to hook users into a life-time of drug use and padding their own pockets with cash.
“Cannabis use has significant negative effects on a person, and this is why it is illegal.
“A large number of users of other drugs used cannabis as a stepping stone to a life-time of drug dependency.
“This weeks seizures will create a dent in the supply of cannabis in the coming weeks throughout this command and other regional areas, and, I am extremely pleased that we have facilitated this.
“Cannabis costs. It costs the community money, it costs you your health, it costs you your friends, it costs you your family, and ultimately it will cost you your life.”
Det Inspector Jameson said the plants were destroyed, and at this stage no arrests have been made yet, though the investigation is ongoing.