More than a tonne of cannabis worth $5 million has been discovered in a series of busts linked to an Albanian organised crime syndicate operating in Melbourne.
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Homes in Taylors Hill, Greenvale, Taylors Lakes, Deer Park and Rockbank were raided on Tuesday, leading to the arrest of two foreign nationals.
Police seized more than 260 cannabis plants from the Taylors Lakes property, more than 185 from the Deer Park address, nearly 200 from the Rockbank property, and 100 plants from a Greenvale home.
About $200,000 cash was taken from the Taylors Hill address, where it is alleged the garage's concrete floor was drilled through to allow a cable to be connected to an electricity substation under the property's fence.
Another 180 plants were seized during a raid on a Keilor East property on Wednesday morning.
A tip-off over suspicious behaviour at one of the addresses led to the investigation being launched in June.
VIPER Taskforce Detective Acting Inspector Leigh Howse said the alleged grow houses were sophisticated set-ups.
"As a result of this operation, a tonne of illicit cannabis is now on a one-way ticket to being destroyed," he said in a statement on Thursday.
The cannabis has an estimated street value of about $5 million.
A 47-year-old Taylors Hill man, an Albanian national who police allege is the syndicate's ringleader, has been charged with cultivating and trafficking a large commercial quantity of cannabis, and possessing proceeds of crime.
A 44-year-old Deer Park woman, a Colombian national found at one of the properties and believed to be a crop sitter, was also charged with cultivating and trafficking a commercial quantity of cannabis.
She was bailed to face court early next year.
The alleged ringleader will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on the same day.
Australian Associated Press
