This year’s annual Cannabis Eradication Program has been a record for the Coffs/Clarence command. Detective Inspector Darren Jameson of the Coffs/Clarence command said that a total of 2,619 plants worth an estimated $5.23m were seized during the five-day operation in the Bellingen, Dorrigo and Nymboida areas. “Strike force Hyperion has been operating in the Coffs/Clarence local area command, that’s our annual Cannabis eradication program which is coordinated by State crime command drug squad in conjunction with the Coffs/Clarence LAC command officers, Police Air Wing through PolAir and wireless network services radio technicians. “Once again it shows our commitment to the community to keep it safe from this insidious drug. “Cannabis has some strong negative effects within the community, it drives crime and we have examples of children as young as 13 involved in crime and property theft in particular as they feed their cannabis habit. “There are many in the community that try to push up this evil as being acceptable within the community and society and my message to them is quite clear – it is wrong, you are wrong. “Cannabis plays a significant role in not only health but in crime. It is an insidious drug that can cause long term effects and these type of operations dealing with drug supply and cultivation will continue and continue to chase these type of offenders the growers, the suppliers and the users of this drug, down burrows if we have to. “PolAir has been used throughout the whole process, although we have been hampered by a few days of bad flying conditions particularly with low lying cloud and rain but that hasn’t deterred the troops on the ground. “Our officers are very dedicated to making sure this insidious drug does not hit the streets and we’ve done extremely well in being able to locate large quantities that we have this year,” he said. The operation which ended on Thursday last week saw 1271 plants seized in the Nymboida area alone.