Police have raided a cannabis grow house in Pōkeno after it caught alight, sending putrid smoke through neighbouring properties.
A police spokesperson said Fire and Emergency advised them of the home’s contents after they were called to a fire at 8.23am on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said the home on Hill Park Dr was vacant.
No one has been arrested.
Neighbours posted on social media saying they were glad to finally know “where the bad drug smell” had been coming from.
It follows several other drug raids over the past few months, including the discovery of cannabis being sold in lolly packets in Ruapehu.
Police said three men were to reappear in court in the coming weeks on drug and firearm-related charges following several central North Island search warrants.
Items seized included 35g of methamphetamine and 2.7kg of cannabis.
In May, a bust in rural South Auckland had ended a “significant” cannabis operation worth up to $15 million. It led to the arrests of nine Vietnamese nationals - four at the Āwhitu site and five at the Glenbrook site.
Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Taylor said thousands of cannabis plants were destroyed after millions of dollars worth of the drug were discovered being grown in former market gardens.
Search warrants were executed at rural sites in Āwhitu, Runciman and Glenbrook under a police operation known as Manta Ray, said the investigations manager for Counties Manukau South Area.
They had destroyed more than 4300 plants at Āwhitu, more than 1000 at Glenbrook and more than 150 at Runciman.
The public had, and would continue to have, a role to play, Taylor said.
“[We] acknowledge the support by the public around information on illegal operations within their community [and] we continue to encourage the community to continue providing us this information on any such concerns they may have.”
Also in May, a police operation in central Auckland resulted in the seizure of a stash of Class A drugs, firearms, ammunition and cash.
The operation took place in Liverpool St, in the central city.
Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong, from Auckland City’s Serious Crime Group, said officers had been making inquiries into two persons of interest at a residential address on the street.
“A subsequent search of the address, which included assistance from a detector dog, uncovered a number of illegal items, including drugs, firearms, and ammunition.”
Police said the drug haul included 66g of cannabis, 180g of methamphetamine and 132g of cocaine.
Six people were treated, with one in serious condition at Tauranga Hospital.