More than 1,400 cannabis plants have been seized and two men charged after a series of search warrants were executed across the Hunter Valley as part of Operation Cages.
The operation began on 21 July 2026, when Hunter Valley Detectives and the Hunter Valley Proactive Crime Team executed a search warrant at a home in Cessnock. Officers allegedly located an elaborate hydroponic cannabis cultivation setup and seized 260 mature plants, along with seedlings, dried cannabis and hydroponic equipment. Further inquiries were then taken up by local police with assistance from the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad.
On 29 September 2026, officers executed two further crime scene warrants in Cessnock and Denman. At the Denman property, police allegedly seized 280 cannabis plants and found the premises illegally connected to the power grid. Two men, aged 36 and 56, were arrested and taken to Cessnock and Muswellbrook Police Stations. The younger man was charged with five offences, including organising a drug premises and cultivating a prohibited plant in a commercial quantity. The older man was charged with three offences, including cultivating a prohibited plant in a commercial quantity. Both men were refused bail and are due to appear before Newcastle Local Court on 25 November 2026.
On Thursday, October 1, officers executed three further search warrants in Muswellbrook and Singleton Heights, allegedly locating 925 cannabis plants. All three properties were also found to be illegally connected to the power grid.
Across the operation to date, a total of 1,465 cannabis plants have been seized and destroyed, with an estimated street value of approximately 4 million dollars. Inquiries under Operation Cages are continuing.
