9kg of cannabis hidden in pits
HAMILTON: Roughly 9kg of dried cannabis buried in underground pits was dug up by police executing a search warrant at a rural Matamata property on Tuesday.
As well as the buried cannabis, hundreds of cannabis seedlings were found along with firearms and ammunition, methamphetamine, cannabis oil and LSD.
This is not the first time in recent weeks evidence of drug offending has been dug up by the Eastern Waikato CIB.
Last week, officers dug up 10 litres of gabbabutyrolactone (GBL) when executing a search warrant at a property just outside Morrinsville. That warrant was part of an investigation by the East Waikato CIB into multiple importations of GBL involving hundreds of litres of the substance often referred to as the ‘‘date rape drug’’.
A 47yearold local man is now before the courts charged with importing and supplying the class B drug.
Police arrested three people in relation to large quantities of cannabis found in Matamata and Piako. Two of the firearms located were loaded and two had been cut down to become pistols.
The warrant was one of three executed at Matamata addresses by the Eastern Waikato CIB, assisted by the armed offenders squad.
A 37yearold man has been arrested and charged with supply and possession of methamphetamine, cannabis cultivation, possession of cannabis for supply, unlawfully possessing a pistol, two counts of unlawfully possessing a firearm and possession of cannabis oil for supply. He has been remanded in custody and will appear in the Hamilton District Court on November 11.
Another 37yearold man has been arrested and charged with two counts of possession of methamphetamine for supply, possession of methamphetamine utensils and possession of cannabis for supply. He has been remanded in custody and will appear in the Hamilton District Court on December 7.
A 33yearold man has been charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply, possession of cannabis for supply and unlawfully possessing a firearm. He will appear in the Hamilton District Court on October 26. —