The NSW police on Thursday discovered a complex network of hydroponic setup with cannabis plantations after they raided a building in the industrial complex of Chalmers Crescent at Mascot in Sydney. The reported estimated value of the seizure is $2.2 million. Two Vietnamese men have been arrested in this connection.

Police officers from the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad who raided the building on Thursday at 4:30 pm said there were around 653 cannabis plants grown inside the facility and a very elaborate network of plug boards and extension leads connected to a number of main switches provided power back up to the operation.

"It was an extremely large hydroponic set-up," Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bell, who led the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad raid, was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. "They'd obviously spent a lot of time and money setting up."

The men, a 53-year-old from Footscray and a 38-year-old from Earlwood in Melbourne, were stopped by the police in a car near a Sydenham. They were then taken to the Newtown Police Station where they faced charges for cultivating a large commercial quantity of a prohibited plant.

Bell said it is quite possible that the two possessed some good electrical knowledge, which allowed them to steal electricity to power up their plant. He added that the duo were actually stealing power from the next door substation and the police had to call Energy Australia to disconnect it safely. The electrical bypasses are frequent in these bypasses as the costs of running such large factories are high and also it is a way to avoid getting detected by law enforcement.

According to Bell, there were a number of unused equipment at the facility which appeared to be lying there for later use suggesting the men might have plans for an expansion.

The 53-year-old man has also been charged with stealing electricity besides charges on cultivating cannabis. Both the accused have been refused bail and are due to appear before the Central Local Court on Friday.

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