Three Sydney real estate agents are among six people who allegedly used the names of members of the public to rent houses to grow $2 million worth of cannabis and receive COVID-19 rent relief payments.
NSW Police charged six people on Wednesday after dismantling a number of sophisticated hydroponic cannabis set-ups in homes in Sydney’s south-west across July and August last year.
During the busts in Fairfield, police seized cannabis worth an estimated $2 million on the street.
Police allege the syndicate also made several “large-scale” fraudulent applications to the state government’s COVID-19 Residential Tenancy Support Package scheme.
Fairfield City police area command crime manager Luke Scott said the three real estate agents allegedly involved in the syndicate abused their employment in the industry for financial gain.
“We will be alleging these people used their position as trusted insiders in the real estate industry to defraud their own clientele and public money meant for those who need it most,” Mr Scott said.
Five of the six arrested will face Fairfield local court on Thursday.Credit:NSW Police
“The properties that were allegedly utilised by this syndicate to grow cannabis were subleased to members of the public who had no idea their name was on the lease agreement, as was the case when it came to the fraudulently obtained rental relief and bond payments.
“The nature of this fraud is particularly scandalous and predatory; the community won’t tolerate it, and those involved now have our court system to answer to.”
The arrests involved a 52-year-old real estate agent who was stopped by police in his vehicle at Cecil Hills about 7am on Wednesday. During a search of his vehicle, police located and seized $5000 cash and mobile phones.
He was charged with ten offences, including knowingly directing activities of a criminal group; participating in a criminal group and contributing to criminal activity; two counts of cultivating a prohibited plant; two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception; and two counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and making and using a false document to obtain financial advantage.
A 44-year-old man was also arrested at a home at Bonnyrigg on Wednesday where a number of items were seized during a search warrant at a home at Cecil Hills. He was charged with cultivating a prohibited plant and participating in criminal group activity.
Both men were refused bail and are due to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Thursday.
Later on Wednesday, two men both aged 35 and a 37-year-old woman were arrested at Fairfield police station.
One of the 35-year-olds, a Middleton Grange real estate agent, was charged with nine offences. The other, a 35-year-old Smithfield man, was charged with participating in a criminal group and two counts of cultivating a prohibited plant.
The 37-year-old woman, also a real estate agent, was charged with eight offences. All three were refused bail and will appear at Fairfield local court on Thursday.
A 23-year-old man was also arrested at Marrickville and charged with participating in a criminal group and four counts of cultivating a prohibited plant. He appeared at Newtown Local Court on Wednesday and was granted strict conditional bail. He will appear at Fairfield Local Court on May 25.
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