A 62-year-old Queenstown man and a 50-year-old Glenorchy man have been charged with cultivating cannabis, and a 55-year-old Queenstown man has been charged with a representative count of possession of cannabis for supply.
The three appeared in the Queenstown District Court today.
A 42-year-old Invercargill man and a 23-year-old Northern Southland man have also been charged with cultivation of cannabis and have appeared in the Invercargill District Court today.
The arrests were made as part of Operation Canary, initiated in 2008, Southern District Crime Services manager Detective Inspector Steve McGregor said.
The operation uncovered an organised criminal cannabis-growing syndicate, involving millions of dollars, operated by people from Invercargill and Queenstown, he said.
''It appears that the operation has been ongoing for years, if not decades.
''The syndicate is alleged to have been cultivating cannabis in a sophisticated and highly organised manner, and on-selling it into Southland and Otago communities for millions of dollars,'' he said.
Police have previously arrested a Dunedin man and more arrests were likely in the coming weeks.
During the 2011/12 season of Operation Canary, police located more than 41kg of high quality cannabis with an estimated street value of around $1 million.
Cannabis grown by the syndicate has a conservatively estimated yield of 181kg and an estimated street value of about $4.5 million, Det Insp McGregor said.
The arrests would have ''an important impact on reducing the harm that illegal drugs have on people who live and work in our communities'', he said.
