Whangārei cannabis bust: Suppression lapses for Vietnamese men arrested

The four men were charged with cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis for supply. Photo / Bevan Conley

Four Vietnamese nationals arrested last week after police discovered a huge cannabis growing venture at Whangārei Heads can now be named.

They are Long Van Tran, 19, Truang Nguyen, 19, Tien Minh Duong, 21, and Thai Ho, 33.

The four are each charged with cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis for supply.

They appeared together yesterday in the Whangārei District Court before Judge Gene Tomlinson.

Interim name suppression, granted when the group first appeared in court last week, lapsed and was not pursued.

Since that earlier appearance, each of the men had been assigned legal aid lawyers but the court was told those counsel were no longer required. Friends and family of the men had retained private counsel for them.

Judge Tomlinson remanded the group in custody without plea for bail applications on February 14.

Police signalled those applications would all be opposed.

A Vietnamese interpreter has been appointed by the court to assist the men at their appearances.

The cannabis growing venture was discovered by police during a search, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, of a rural property in Robinson Rd, Whangārei Heads, about 8.30am on Wednesday.

Police have yet to quantify the amount of cannabis involved but say initial estimates suggest there were more than 3500 plants and as much as up to 22.5kg of cannabis head material.