Farming family guilty of growing cannabis
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A pair of siblings connected to a cannabis operation – with a potential yield of almost $900,000 – on a farming property, have been sentenced to home detention.
Emma and Malcolm Shaw were sentenced to nine months and eight months respectively in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.
Emma Shaw had entered guilty pleas to charges of possession of cannabis for sale and cultivation of cannabis, while Malcolm entered guilty pleas to charges of cultivating cannabis and being party to possession of cannabis.
Their father, Stephen Shaw, also appeared and entered a guilty plea to the same charges. He will be sentenced on March 22.
The police summary revealed a search on March 30 last year, at a Huirimu Rd property in Wharerapa South, uncovered ‘‘manicured’’ cannabis in a woolshed that had been transported there from a second location at Wiltsdown Rd, Waotu.
A further search of the Wiltsdown Rd address uncovered 177 mature plants.
‘‘The potential yield of the cannabis plants found is between $531,000 and $885,000,’’ the summary said.
Police also found 35 mature plants in a blackberry area at Malcolm Shaw’s property, though sentencing Judge Marie Mackenzie conceded his cultivation was for personal use only.
‘‘Lights, clones, grow cycles, there was absolutely none of that,’’ she said.
‘‘Unprofessionally grown on a blackberry bush, consistent with personal use.’’
The police summary also included Emma Shaw’s admission that she had processed cannabis with her father’s help for sale.
Stephen Shaw also admitted to his role in planting cannabis plants, though he claimed ‘‘he did this to help friends out who smoked cannabis’’.
‘‘He also admitted providing other cannabis to people, but claimed no money changed hands and he simply ‘dropped off’ amounts for others.’’
The summary also spelt out the link between the Shaws and the alleged offending of another sharemilker linked to land where police say they found four separate cannabis growing areas containing 93 plants.
‘‘In total 1.107kg of cannabis head, 5.57kg of cannabis leaf and 93 cannabis plants ranging from 1.5 to 2 metres in height were seized from Wiltsdown Rd,’’ the summary said.
The sharemilker has pleaded not guilty to charges linked to the Shaws and will next appear in court in March for a pretrial hearing. SAT 26TH & SUN 27TH JANUARY