Dope grower forfeits house

The man behind a sophisticated long-term cannabis operation has been jailed and his house has been seized by the courts.

Mark Andrew Allen, 39, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday for a charge each of possession of cannabis for supply, selling cannabis and cultivation of cannabis.

Allen was jailed for three years and nine months.

His Cheyne Rd property was raided by police in October. They seized more than 80 plants at various stages of cultivation, plus dried cannabis material.

The court heard the cannabis operation had been running for about 18 months, with air ducts, lighting, and specialised growth timers established in the rooms allocated for the cannabis.

Crown prosecutor Hayley Sheridan suggested to Judge Christopher Harding that Allen should be jailed for at least four years.

"This was a sophisticated set-up, with separate areas overlapping growth cycles to ensure year-long supply of cannabis," she said.

Defence counsel Bill Nabney said the offending was less serious than the prosecution made out, operating primarily out of a garage, as the property was the couple's residential home.

Judge Harding said despite this argument, the home had been used as an instrument for criminal enterprise.

The nature and sophistication of the renovations made to the house to allow for the cannabis growing were evidence of this, he said.

Judge Harding also ordered the forfeiture of the $323,000 Cheyne Rd house to the courts.