15 November 2012

Dumped hydroponic gear in Kaleen

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is urging the Canberra community to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood following the discovery of dumped hydroponic equipment this week.

On Monday (12 November) police located a large amount of hydroponic equipment and drug paraphernalia including liquid fertiliser, hydroponic bulbs, ducting, fans and potting mix which were discarded next to bins in Kaleen.

This is the second incident where police have located hydroponic equipment within a week, after Criminal Investigation detectives uncovered a ‘grow house’ in Macgregor on Friday (9 November) seizing 94 cannabis plants.

Following these two discoveries, ACT Policing is encouraging the public to be aware of activities occurring in their neighbourhood and signs that houses may be operating as a ‘grow house’ or manufacturing illegal drugs.

Indicating factors include suspicious persons or behaviour, strange or chemical-type smells coming from the home, blocked off windows and unkempt gardens, house is extremely well-lit indoors at all hours, ventilation fittings are erected on the roof and there are hoses and pipes being used for water and ventilation supply.

Detective Sergeant Shane Scott said the benefit for Canberrans to be aware of indicating factors to suspicious activity is invaluable to ACT Policing.

“We encourage neighbours to get to know each other. If there is a lack of occupancy in the home, the occupants remain very secretive or people frequent the premise intermittently, these may be signs that the house is being used for something other than a home.”

“By keeping an eye out, neighbours can assist police in detecting these properties. If things don’t seem right, contact police,” Detective Sergeant Scott said.

Police are seeking assistance from anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity near the dumpster bins at Kaleen High School at the weekend or have information that could relate to this investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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Grrrr said :

aceofspades said :

There are perfectly legal reasons to both sell and use this equipment.

There are .. and the chances of this stuff being used for them are very, very low. You’re talking crap.

soil quality in Canberra = cr$p
Weather in Canberra = Frosty = c&$p

aceofspades said :

There are perfectly legal reasons to both sell and use this equipment.

There are .. and the chances of this stuff being used for them are very, very low. You’re talking crap.

Agree with the others Hydroponics aren’t illegal.
Indoors in Canberra isn’t a bad idea.
Can’t wait till the cops bust someone for growing strawberries in their basement.

devils_advocate said :

Henry82 said :

hydroponic gear =/= drugs

But the lights = growing indoors, out of view of prying eyes, no?

For what other reason would people go to such serious expense (in terms of electricity) and risk (in terms of fire) to grow things indoors when they could otherwise do it outside?

(this is not sarcasm, I’m genuinely interested to know).

Have you seen the price of tomato’s in the supermarkets recently? I would grow my own too. And since they are frost sensitive, it only makes sense to grow them indoors. With my Charnwood Tomato’s.

Surely they could have left it outside the charity bins. The pick up contractors could have gone through it and sold it off to the poor people

Henry82 said :

hydroponic gear =/= drugs

When the bags of fertilizer are labelled “Canna Coco”, you could make a safe assumption that drugs come into the equation.

devils_advocate9:24 am 16 Nov 12

Henry82 said :

hydroponic gear =/= drugs

But the lights = growing indoors, out of view of prying eyes, no?

For what other reason would people go to such serious expense (in terms of electricity) and risk (in terms of fire) to grow things indoors when they could otherwise do it outside?

(this is not sarcasm, I’m genuinely interested to know).

hydroponic gear =/= drugs

This looks like a typical scene at the charity bins outside the Kaleen shops, which is only a couple of hundred metres away.

I reckon the dumpers went to the shops, couldn’t get near enough to the bins to dump their crap because of all the other crap that had been dumped there, and decided that the school dumpsters were the next best thing.

Report me! report me ! Ticked all the boxes..

suspicious persons or behaviour [me!], strange or chemical-type smells coming from the home [yep, spag bog], blocked off windows and unkempt gardens [you bet, mow the lawn], house is extremely well-lit indoors at all hours [lights!], ventilation fittings are erected on the roof [4!] and there are hoses and pipes being used for water and ventilation supply [hoses and and and …..] FFS

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd4:11 pm 15 Nov 12

johnboy said :

Looking at the neat bagging up I’m guessing someone’s mum found the rig and cleaned it out.

lol

Or maybe mum was the one doing the growing as long as the kids got rid of the rubbish for her. I guess the kids will be getting a clip over the ears if she sees this.

Looking at the neat bagging up I’m guessing someone’s mum found the rig and cleaned it out.

Why didn’t they just sell it to Cash Converters? I remember a few years ago seeing a hydroponic kit in their Woden store with a sign on it saying “Grow your own!”.

Well it is tomato season………

Maybe the remains of a Kaleen High School science project or a government funded initiative to get students interested in science?

Police here obviously have no where near enough work. There are perfectly legal reasons to both sell and use this equipment. The only offence I see this being evidence of is littering. Stop wasting our resources on something that is so totally pointless.

I didn’t know where else to put it………

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd1:24 pm 15 Nov 12

scumbags for dumping that stuff but the police media fear mongering does far more harm.

BEWARE THE DOPE FIEND!!!

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