Toowoomba detectives have charged a man with trafficking dangerous drugs after police seized cannabis with a street value of nearly 11.2 million dollars earlier this month.
Around 4.50pm on December 7 officers from the Toowoomba Tactical Crime Squad intercepted a utility on the Warrego Highway, near the intersection with Postsman Ridge Road at Helidon.
It will be alleged police located a large cardboard box in the rear seat containing 20 bags of cannabis, with police also finding an additional four boxes containing 78 bags of cannabis in the rear of the utility.
In total approximately 44 kilograms of cannabis was seized with an estimated street value of $264 000.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, a 37-year-old New South Wales man was arrested.
Investigations by police lead them to a storage facility in Toowoomba where detectives executed a search warrant on December 8. Police allegedly located five boxes containing approximately 59 kilograms of cannabis with an estimated street value of $354 000.
On December 9 detectives from Toowoomba Tactical Crime Squad executed a search warrant on a Willow Springs, Clifton property with police allegedly locating 3015 cannabis plants, of varying sizes and worth an estimated 10.5 million dollars, in a well-established cannabis crop.
The acreage property had an extensive green house and drying shed with sophisticated lighting, irrigation and ventilation systems. These plants have since been destroyed.
The 37-year-old man has appeared in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court charged with one count each of trafficking dangerous drugs, producing dangerous drugs, supplying dangerous drugs, offence to buy or possess schedule 4 medicine, and three counts possess dangerous drugs and two counts of possess anything used in the connection of crime - Drugs Misuse Act.
He has been remanded in custody to appear in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on February 14.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
