Overview
- Officers arrested a 39-year-old in Kempsey after stopping a white Toyota Hilux, then executed a search warrant at a nearby Collombatti property.
- Investigators seized 52 hydroponic cannabis plants and about 11 kilograms of cannabis leaf valued at roughly $85,000, along with a rifle concealed in the kitchen.
- Police reported finding a 1.3-metre saltwater crocodile, 38 snakes including a cobra, 19 lizards, 28 dogs, nine cats and three hedgehogs inside the home.
- The animals were removed and placed into care with assistance from the RSPCA, Kempsey Shire Council, licensed reptile handlers and biodiversity regulators.
- The man was charged with commercial cannabis cultivation and supply, dealing in protected animals and multiple firearms offences, was refused bail and is due in court Thursday.