Children found in cannabis house

Some of the cannabis plants found during the raid. Photo: Supplied

Police discovered four children living in a house used to grow cannabis in Manurewa this morning.

Police looking for drugs and stolen property executed four search warrants in the Manurewa area.

In one of the searches, police located 27 mature cannabis plants at a residential home which was occupied by a couple and four children.

Two of the children were pre-school aged.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ross Ellwood of Manurewa CIB says a man from the address was arrested and charged with drug-related offences.

"We were very disappointed to find children in a home which was being used to cultivate cannabis and will be following up with Child, Youth and Family in relation to this address," says Detective Senior Sergeant Ellwood.

"The house was a mess and not a place fit for children to be brought up in."

The other search warrants (all unrelated) resulted in ongoing investigations into other drugs matters.

Property and drug-related crime is targeted by Counties Manukau and Manurewa CIB in an ongoing effort to reduce offending in the area.

"We are an investigation group made up of a team of Police investigators who are committed to keeping Manurewa a safe place to live. We employ a number of strategies to target offenders and reduce victimisation, including the regular execution of search warrants to recover drugs and stolen property."

"This holds offenders to account, interrupting the trade and manufacture of drugs and the trade of stolen property, ensuring we can reduce the number of victims of crime," says Detective Senior Sergeant Ross Ellwood.