WA Police uncover massive cannabis bust at Kokeby property in outback Wheatbelt region
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Huge cannabis farm hidden in small remote town shut down in police raid
- Police seize 50g of dried cannabis and 2,000 plants in Western Australia
- Alarming discovery found on rural property in Kokeby in the Wheatbelt region
- Police body camera footage shows sophistication of alleged drug operation
- Five men arrested, charged and denied bail to reappear in court in February
A huge cannabis farm with over 2,000 plants hidden near a small inland town has been discovered and shut down.
Five men will spend the next month behind bars after police raided a property in Kokeby, in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region, last week.
Agents discovered a greenhouse at the location where they allegedly found and seized more than 50 kg of dried cannabis and more than 2,000 ready-to-harvest cannabis plants.
Body camera footage released by police showed the sophistication of the setup with hundreds of rows of cannabis crops and dry plants powered by large generators.
WA Police found a greenhouse filled with an excess of 2,000 cannabis plants in Kokeby
Closer inspection of the remote rural property shows various drug-making equipment and generators in storage, while another greenhouse appeared to show room to grow and expand the facility.
Police will allege that the drug operation was run by five Mandarin-speaking men. from 28 to 49 years.
They were each charged with one count each of ccultivating a prohibited plant with the intent to sell or supply and drugs pPossession with Intent to Sell or Furnish.
Tony Kittu, 43, Kaki Ko, 28, Karwai Lau, 49, Kam Soo, 47, and Hung Cheng-Pin, 30, briefly appeared at Perth Magistrate Court on Friday where they were denied bail to appear before the court next month. western australia informed.
Located 130 km southeast of Perth, Kokeby is home to just 85 residents.
The police also seized more than 50 kilograms of dried cannabis found in the greenhouse.
Five men have filed charges and been denied bail in connection with the alleged drug operation
The cannabis haul is the largest seized in recent times by WA police.
“This is a significant amount of drugs to be seized and taken off the streets, produced as part of a scheme to generate large profits for a serious organized crime group,” Detective Superintendent John Hutchinson said.
‘These proceeds are used to fund other serious crimes, all of which contribute to causing harm to the community.
“These seizures break that cycle and disrupt the criminal groups involved, ultimately reducing that harm.”
A police tour of the property shows room to expand the alleged drug operation.
The cannabis crops were allegedly powered by a series of generators on the property.