Police are in the process of dismantling a lucrative grow house concealed within a cottage at Mount St Thomas.
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The house, at 137 The Avenue, had been gutted to accommodate dozens of low-hanging light shades, an elaborate air filtration system and 300-400 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of $500,000.
The plants were at a mature stage when Wollongong drug detectives swooped, about 1pm Monday.
Wollongong Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Brad Ainsworth said two men aged in their mid-30s were stopped in a car a short distance from the house and arrested, earlier on Monday.
“They’ll be interviewed and are expected to be charged later this afternoon,” Det Ainsworth said.
“The house has been modified to accommodate the cannabis set-up and the electrical system has been bypassed.”
Forensic Services Group officers and police are working across five separate growing areas, including the converted lounge room, three bedrooms and a detached shed area.
The kitchen had been retained, with food and cooking implements left on the benches, a short distance from large bags of fertilisers and liquid chemicals on the floor.
A bathroom and a bedroom with two mattresses on the floor were also kept plant-free.
With the air filtration system switched off, a sickly smell hung in the air as police worked at the site, Monday afternoon.
The windows were boarded up with the curtains still in position, so nothing looked amiss from the outside.
The discovery follows that of a similar set-up at a property on Wonson Avenue, Coniston, last month.
Police seized 418 indoor-enhanced hydroponic plants from that location on June 19.
Det Insp Ainsworth said police were investigating a possible connection between the houses.
“The two could possibly be linked,” he said.