Major Hydroponics Raid Carried Out In Sleepy Victorian Town

The sleepy town of Rochester was in for a rude awakening this week after police carried out a major drug bust on Monday morning. Rochester, which is 28km south of Echuca, Victoria is not exactly known for drug busts. In fact, the towns claim to fame is their annual mural festival - enjoyed by their large population of retirees. Nevertheless, Rochester was apparently also home to an enormous hydroponics house. As a result of Monday’s raid, police uncovered 232 live cannabis plants in various stages of growth. The plants were being cultivated inside a hydroponics home on Railway Road, which locals reported as being suspicious to Police. An Australian police officer handling some cannabis plants Aussie police setting up cannabis for a nice photoshoot As a result of these tips, Monday’s raid was carried out by detectives from Campaspe Crime Investigation Unit and the Echuca Police. Cutting power to the home, police have removed the contraband cannabis, but are still investigating how a hydroponics setup came to reside in Rochester. Speaking to the Campaspe News about the drug bust, Detective Sergeant Barry Gray explained that the cannabis setup is significantly larger than Campaspe police are used to.

This is not a big problem in Rochester. It’s out-of-towners bringing ill will to the town.

In total, Police believe the cannabis they seized is worth several hundred thousand dollars. During the raid, a 25-year-old Asian man was also arrested. He is expected to appear in court in Bendigo later this month but has not been charged at this stage.