A Facebook taunt led to a string of events and then police attention for a Cobden man who was sent to prison this week.
The former Mongrel Mob gang member who set up a sophisticated cannabis growing operation at his home fought back tears in the Greymouth District Court yesterday afternoon as he was jailed for 19 months.
Domingo Joseph Da Silva was sentenced on charges of cultivating cannabis, possession of a class B drug, possession of cannabis equipment, and assault.
On October 17, police went to Da Silva's Cobden house on an unrelated matter, finding 48 plants growing under lights, alongside growing pots, extractor fans and heat lamps, all hidden away in a shipping container.
Da Silva told police he had begun to grow the drug, using You Tube as a guide, after his partner had cut off his tab, as she objected to him spending her money on drugs.