Vietnamese organised crime groups are believed to have converted hundreds of residential properties across Auckland into commercial-scale cannabis grow houses, often without neighbours realising what is happening next door.
According to a report by Stuff, Police sources say more than 300 homes in the city are currently, or have recently been, used by Vietnamese crime syndicates to cultivate cannabis. The properties are typically rented or bought in quiet, often affluent suburbs and then extensively modified to support intensive indoor growing operations.
According to those familiar with the operations, the houses are stripped and converted into highly controlled environments where cannabis plants are rotated through bedrooms, moving from seedlings to harvest-ready crops within about 12 weeks. One source described the process as highly refined, saying: “It’s an art form: and the Vietnamese [crime groups] are very good at it,” as reported by Stuff.
The level of sophistication varies between syndicates. Some use charcoal filters to mask the smell of cannabis, automated underfloor heating and irrigation systems, and clever techniques to obscure windows while making houses appear occupied. In one case, offenders used Panda Film with reflective and light-proof layers, while another involved blackout curtains placed behind regular curtains with a light in between to create the illusion of normal activity.
Advances in lighting technology have also helped growers evade detection, with lower-powered systems reducing heat signatures that could otherwise be picked up by police helicopters. Directly tapping into street-level power supplies allows syndicates to avoid alerting authorities through unusually high electricity usage.
Each operation is carefully managed to ensure a continuous supply, with some syndicates employing workers solely to deliver supplies between grow houses. The extensive modifications, however, can leave landlords facing repair bills of up to $500,000 due to structural damage, ruined wiring and plumbing, and the risk of black mould caused by heat and moisture.
One source compared the situation to past street-level drug dealing, saying: “It’s like the new tinny houses: when police used to roll them, half an hour later there’s another one down the road. It’s like that now with the Vietnamese being the main growers…,” Stuff has quoted.
The scale of the operations has reportedly attracted attention from other criminal groups, with incidents of established gangs seizing crops from Vietnamese growers. “They are getting some attention,” a source said, as quoted by Stuff.
According to Stuff, concerns have also been raised that the issue is not being treated as a priority by police. “I see it as a big problem: there’s the exploitation, the power and water theft, the property damage, the standovers,” another source said.
Police investigations, including Operation Bush, launched in December 2021, have targeted organised groups involved in cannabis cultivation and money laundering. As part of the operation, authorities forced the sale of a West Harbour property owned by a Vietnamese man described by a judge as “the leader of an organised criminal group”. Assets restrained included multiple properties, vehicles, cash and rental income, with phone intercepts revealing coded language such as “feeding the baby” to describe cannabis crops.
Authorities have also explored links between cannabis operations and other businesses, including nail bars. Immigration New Zealand compliance director Steve Watson said: “We are certainly seeing a connection with some people involved in the nail bar industry,” as reported by Stuff.
Watson said many growers originate from specific regions of Vietnam, suggesting an organised recruitment network. “It does seem to be organised irregular migration … an organised criminal enterprise offshore. Whether that’s one or more agents, we are working to find out the detail of it. It’s a large organised crime operation that’s behind this. We believe this is a big issue to face and something we want to work with our partners across MBIE and the police to resolve,” Stuff has quoted.
Immigration New Zealand has taken enforcement action against dozens of companies and individuals, issuing infringement notices, deportation liability notices and cancelling visas. Watson said the work is ongoing and described it as a continuing operation.
The issue has also highlighted concerns about exploitation. Some Vietnamese nationals involved in growing cannabis are believed to have arrived in New Zealand expecting legitimate work but were instead forced into illegal activity. In sentencing decisions, courts have acknowledged this complexity. Judge Richard McIlraith said of two offenders: “While you did have a choice not to be involved, the reality is in many ways that choice was artificial and the two of you have been victims of some type of scam arrangement,” Stuff has quoted.
Many growers are young people on student or work visas, or overstayers, and are considered minor players. Watson said: “They are sitting in these grow houses and minding the shop and are part of the larger network, but at the lower end of it.” As a result, many are deported rather than prosecuted.
Police operations over the past two years have uncovered thousands of cannabis plants and millions of dollars’ worth of drugs across Auckland and other regions. Despite this, police have played down the scale of the problem, stating that grow houses are “not a new phenomenon” but acknowledging that “what is changing is the proliferation and size of some set ups in recent years, particularly in the Auckland region,” Stuff has reported.
They also warned of the dangers posed by unsafe electrical wiring, noting it “poses not only a risk to those who are operating the illegal set up, but also neighbours and our staff who turn up to these addresses,” as reported by Stuff.