Wellington Drug Squad dismantles major cannabis syndicate

The Wellington Drug Squad has seized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cannabis in a five month long investigation which was terminated overnight.

Wellington District Organised Crime Manager Detective Inspector Darrin Thomson says, "Police have severely impacted the cannabis supply chain in our community. This syndicate was responsible for millions of dollars worth of drugs flowing into our community and causing damage to many."

As a result of six search warrants executed last night between Newtown and Kilbirnie, a 68 year old woman and 47 year old man will appear in the Wellington District Court today, charged with cultivating and selling cannabis.

Police also recovered close to 30 pounds of cannabis and around $40,000 in cash.

Three more people were also arrested for possession of cannabis last night but have been bailed to appear in Court at a later date.

Dubbed 'Operation Foxy', Police have spent five months investigating the activities of a well organised, sophisticated commercial drug syndicate supplying tens of thousands of dollars of cannabis each week.

"This group was firmly entrenched in an illicit commodity business that has now been dismantled by Police. We have been gathering evidence of the assets accumulated by this syndicate over a period of time and our Asset Recovery Unit is in the process of restraining several million dollars worth of residential property and cash."

Detective Inspector Thomson says Police believe this group has been operating for a number of years and that their wealth accumulation is directly related to the ongoing supply of cannabis in the Wellington district.

"Cannabis continues to be a harmful substance on a number of fronts. One being the drain on our health system as it is the leading illicit drug involved in hospital admissions, and the other being that purchasers often divert income from other every day necessities required to support their families."

"Operation Foxy should send a clear message to those involved in such activity that if you are accumulating wealth, we will pursue all possible avenues in holding you to account and seize any assets gained from that activity."