PREMIUM
News

Burning high into the sky: nearly 5.2 tonnes of cannabis destroyed

author avatar
Up in flames: Nearly 5.2 tonnes of prohibited cannabis was set alight on Saturday by the CFA and Victoria Police. Photo by Megan Fisher

Police have destroyed 5.2 tonnes of marijuana seized during a raid on a Toolamba property on Wednesday.

It is alleged to be the largest hydroponic cannabis crop seized in Victoria.

Since Wednesday, a taskforce of police harvested the cannabis and dumped it on an open area on the property.

The tedious task took close to three days to complete due to the large quantity.

With millions of dollars worth of cannabis out in the open, police spent the past few nights guarding the area.

Piled up: The stacks of cannabis stood nearly as tall as the CFA crew. Photo by Megan Fisher

The hydroponic greenhouse contained 8805 cannabis plants, according to Sergeant Peter Warden from Shepparton Divisional Tasking Unit.

Fiery: Black smoke quickly filled up the sky after an accelerant was carefully added. Photo by Megan Fisher

The sheer amount meant the crop had to be separated into four piles which were then lit by a drip torch.

The marijuana burnt slowly throughout the day on Saturday, one stack at a time with CFA volunteers from Toolamba and Murchison keeping tabs on the fires.

Set alight: CFA crews carefully stood upwind when setting the piles of cannabis alight with a drip torch. Photo by Megan Fisher

They doused the dry grass around the area with water to avoid any spread and stood by with ultralight tanks and water pumps.

Flames shot as high as 5m, emitting a dense, black smoke that filled the late morning sky.

High into the sky: Fire went as high as 5m. Photo by Megan Fisher

CFA District 22 commander Rohan Taylor said various safety precautions were in place during the destruction process.

“The drug activates at 300°C, which means if we’ve still got embers or coals or any burning product after, it still will be the active drug product burning,” he said.

“So, because there’s smoke involved, we’ve got to make sure our people are not actually standing downwind and that basically eliminates the risk of them being impacted by the by-products or the smoke of the fire.”

Carefully does it: CFA members stood upwind as the smoke blew the opposite way. Photo by Megan Fisher

Heavy duty P2 masks prevented anyone from breathing in the smoke.

Plumes of smoke: It didn’t take long for black smoke to fill the sky. Photo by Megan Fisher