Former bank base for cannabis crops

A Dunedin man has admitted his role in a commercial cannabis enterprise which operated out of a building in Temuka’s main street.

The two-storey former bank on King St featured five rooms equipped with air filtration units, lights, and heating and watering systems to grow 803 cannabis plants, with a further 88 plants found in a shed on the property.

Timothy Lionel Te Rawaraki Snow, 47, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis plant for supply when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Timaru District Court yesterday.

Snow is the second person to admit a role in the sophisticated operation.

Last month, Geraldine man Damian Richardson, 37, pleaded guilty to two counts of cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis for supply. He was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention on January 19.

In a summary of facts, Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae said Snow owned the former Temuka bank and previously ran a garden supply business out of the building.

After shifting to Dunedin, Snow began renting the property to Richardson and his family, and provided some equipment for cannabis cultivation starting in July 2016.

‘‘He was paid $1000 per week for his assistance.’’

Police executed a search warrant at the address on February 22, 2017.

McRae said a large shed at the rear of the property housed 88 cannabis plants, at the ‘‘intermediate growth stage’’ and averaging 600 millimetres in height, within two rooms ‘‘specifically designed’’ for cultivating the drug.

The outbuilding was fully wired to power several fans, lights, and dehumidifiers. Timers determined when the plants would be watered, and ducting and filters had been installed to nullify the odour.

Inside the main dwelling, police discovered a hidden door behind a shelving unit in the kitchen pantry.

The door connected to five rooms containing 803 plants, a nursery for cloning and propagating plants, and another space with potting mix and fertiliser.

The former bank’s vault had been converted to a drying and packaging station with lab coats, disposable gloves, digital scales, hundreds of snaplock bags, and a machine for separating the cannabis head from the plant.

McRae said more than 20 kilograms of cannabis plant material and a whiteboard detailing cycles, harvesting, and packing dates were also found within the vault.

Judge Maze remanded Snow on bail for sentencing on April 15.