Owner of the Wild West-themed accommodation and shooting range business, Michael Kevin Milne, 68, and Ngahere man Anthony Wayne Harris, 77, are being tried by jury in the Greymouth District Court this week on a raft of drug charges, including cultivating cannabis, possession of cannabis for supply and selling the drug.
The first witness called yesterday by the Crown was Constable Glen Collins, who entered the bunker on three occasions between July and August 2019 as part of Operation Heron, which was led by Christchurch police.
Jurors were shown photographs and a video taken inside by Const Collins showing some of the 12 hydroponic growing bays inside the 240sqm bunker.
The plants were in various stages and sizes. There was also a nursery and a number of named plants with labels such as Northern Lights, Banana Kush, and Gorilla Glue with different descriptions such as ‘‘strong ASF'', which Const Collins said he took to mean ‘‘strong as f...’’.
Const Collins, an evidential officer for a special tactics group, was one of two police to enter the bunker on July 16, 2019.
As part of the team's surveillance, hidden cameras were installed on a subsequent visit. The cameras were focused on the entrance to the bunker, which was via a shipping container sitting above ground.
Inside that was a wooden trap door with a ladder leading down to the bunker.
Under cross-examination by Milne's lawyer, Anselm Williams, Const Collins said the special tactics group provided emergency and planned responses to higher level jobs — ‘‘anything involving greater risk to community’’.
After a briefing in Christchurch involving about a dozen officers, Const Collins travelled to the West Coast the next day as part of a smaller team.
Earlier in the day, three officers rode on bicycles through the site — at the top of the West Coast Wilderness Trail in the Arahura Valley.
That night they re-entered the property on foot, armed and wearing camouflage clothing, with night vision equipment.
Const Collins' job inside the bunker was to document what was found and what he saw.
On their first visit, the lights were off. On the second visit, on August 8, the lights were on and a video taken on his cellphone was submitted as evidence in the trial.
The third and final visit was on August 22.
Const Collins said each time the officers visited, they were armed. Those stationed above ground were there to watch for ‘‘early warning signs''.
Samples of the plants were taken on the first two occasions. On the third visit, he removed the SD card from the covert camera and secured that footage.
Mr Williams asked if the special tactics group had been briefed about Milne prior to entering the property. Const Collins said they had.
Mr Williams: ‘‘Were there concerns about firearms?''
Const Collins: ‘‘Yes.''
While no weapons were found at Cowboy Paradise, a stun gun, pepper spray and ammunition were found during a later search of Harris' home at the time.
Harris' lawyer Marcus Zintl did not cross-examine Const Collins.
A second police witness who analysed the CCTV footage also took the stand yesterday.
Detective Sergeant Daniel Shields, of Nelson, said his job was to analyse the 171 activations recorded over about three weeks in August.
Det Sgt Shields said the camera was on a motion sensor and recorded when movement was detected.
Still photographs showed visits to the shipping container on an almost daily basis at various times of the morning and night. On at least one occasion, a man can be seen leaving with a large black rubbish bag.
Telco polling data from Milne's and Harris' cellphones between January 2017 and September 2019 was also submitted as evidence.
The data showed Harris regularly travelled to Christchurch.
Mr Zintl has said previously Harris, a semi-retired gold prospector, did not dispute knowing Milne or knowing that he was growing cannabis.
What was disputed was that he sold cannabis on Milne's behalf or regularly carried it to Canterbury.
The trial is set down for two weeks.
- Hokitika Guardian
