A number of officers stormed the caravan of a rented Ballat Close property and seized 12 mature plants valued at a street price of roughly $5000 each. The weight of the discovery came in at 1.2 kilograms, which included 'an amount of leaf' Port Stephens detective sergeant Scott Metcalfe said.

About 30 to 40 healthy-sized unharvested cannabis buds were also found on the plants. If harvested, the buds could have fetched anywhere up to $250 each on the street. Detective sergeant Metcalfe called the find an 'iron in the fire' for the command. Officers made the discovery on January 24, seizing a number of home-made and commercial apparatus used in the hydroponic cultivation, including lighting, transformers, exhausts and other equipment. At the time of publication no arrests had been made.