Police have revealed the areas where they carried out searches in the Western Bay of Plenty as part of a month-long crack down on drug manufacturers and suppliers.
Forty-five properties throughout the Western Bay were searched resulting in 44 arrests and seven warnings.
Detective Senior Sergeant Lindsay Pilbrow said the warrants allowed police to search eight Te Puke properties, 10 in Tauranga South, 18 in central Tauranga (including Gate Pa and Bethlehem), one in Katikati and eight the Papamoa/Mount Maunganui area.
A commercial scale hydroponic cannabis growing operation was found in a Bethlehem garage while $13,000 cash and a small amount of methamphetamine were seized from a rural Welcome Bay house.
Mr Pilbrow said information provided by community members played a key part in the operation which focused largely on cannabis growers and tinnie houses.
