A Whangarei man has pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis in two shipping containers, one of which was buried underground with its entrance via a manhole concealed by a rubber mat and rubbish mound.
Tony James Ware, 48, admitted in the Whangarei District Court yesterday to one charge of cultivating cannabis - three days after the start of his trial. Another charge of theft of power is likely to be withdrawn by the Crown duringsentencing. Ware was remanded on bail for sentencing on October 13.
He grew cannabis in two shippingcontainers at his rural property in Whareora between December 2009 and August 11, 2011, and allegedly stole electricity worth more than $17,000 to run the operation. Ware was first convicted by a jury in the same court in February 2014 and sentenced to three years and 10 months. A retrial was later ordered but legal orders prevent this newspaper from going into details why.
Crown prosecutor Richard Annandale told the jury in his opening address on Monday 448 female cannabis plants in varying stages of growth were discovered in the shipping containers when police executed a warrant at the property on August 11, 2011. No one was there when police arrived but a TV was on, he said. An officer used a bolt cutter to open a container which was connectedto a power source from a house.
Mr Annandale said 197 plants in various sizes were discovered in the container. Another container was buried underground, he said, and its entrance was concealed by a rubber mat and rubbish mound. Mr Annandale said Detective Andrew Glendinning jumped inside a manhole to access the buried container and found 142 cannabis plants in three compartments.