A man from overseas remains on the run after a police drug bust in the state’s north-west uncovered $10 million worth of illegally grown cannabis.
Four other men have since been charged with cultivating a commercial amount of cannabis after police searched a property at Milnes Bridge, between Kerang and Cohuna, on Tuesday.
Police said five men, all from overseas, attempted to run from the officers who arrived at the property which housed 10 large greenhouses.
Detective Inspector Matt Pascoe says police are still looking for a man who fled through bushland. (ABC News: Tyrone Dalton)
“We are looking for an Asian male of mid-age who was last seen fleeing into bushland around that area,” Mildura and Swan Hill investigation and response manager Acting Detective Inspector Matt Pascoe said.
“So we’re looking for any information whatsoever to assist us in identifying and finding that person.”
Police allege they found about 4,700 plants inside, which varied in size and maturity and weighed more than 2.5 tonnes.
Police say three men attempted to flee from officers by swimming across an irrigation channel. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
“Any time we’re able to remove significant quantities of illicit drugs from the streets is a win for community safety,” Detective Inspector Pascoe said.
“We know the cultivation and trafficking of drugs is what fuels organised crime groups.”
Police said it took three days for investigators and forensic specialists to dismantle the crop houses, and the plants would be destroyed after being examined by forensics.
Police seized about 4,700 plants during the drug bust, weighing about 2.5 tonnes. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
Police said officers also seized electronic devices, CCTV hardware, and items allegedly used to bypass electricity.
“This investigation remains ongoing, and we implore anyone with information to come forward to police,” Detective Inspector Pascoe said.
“It was a very large-scale operation and we’ll be looking into the background as to how that came about.”
Four foreigners charged with cultivation
Police allege the five men attempted to escape from the 131-hectare property, with three of them allegedly jumping into an irrigation channel.
Police arrested four men, aged 39, 41 and two aged 51.
Police said another man got away.
Police allege about 4,700 cannabis plants were found in 10 large greenhouses. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
“We actually have no information currently as to where they could have gone other than to say that they were last seen fleeing in that general area or into bushland,” Detective Inspector Pascoe said.
“We’ve searched that area thoroughly and have been unable to locate that person.”
The men, who are foreign nationals, have since been charged with cultivating and trafficking a large commercial quantity of cannabis.
They faced Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and were remanded to appear again in May.
Police said the four men had been unhelpful in identifying the fifth man, who they were working for, or how they came to be at the cannabis grow house.
Detective Inspector Pascoe said there were no obvious links between this week’s drug bust and others that had taken place near Bendigo and Maryborough two years ago.
Meanwhile, four men were charged after a separate police drug bust 90 kilometres north of Mines Bridge at Niemur, across the border in New South Wales, on Wednesday.
New South Wales arrested and charged four men in a separate property search on Wednesday. (Supplied: NSW Police)
NSW Police said it seized 5,000 cannabis plants with a potential value of $10 million during the major police operation in the state’s south.
Police urged anyone with information about either cannabis farm to call Crime Stoppers.