SYDNEY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sydney police have charged a man after seizing more than 1,000 cannabis plants during a search of two homes in the city's western suburbs.
A police statement on Wednesday said that detectives from a strike force investigating alleged indoor cultivation of cannabis arrested the 38-year-old man in Rydalmere, 17 km west of central Sydney, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Following his arrest, police executed search warrants at two properties on the same street where they allegedly located a commercial-scale hydroponic cannabis setup.
Officers seized 1,017 cannabis plants from the properties with an estimated street value exceeding 5 million Australian dollars (3.6 million U.S. dollars).
The 38-year-old man was taken to a local police station and charged with cultivating a prohibited plant in or more than a large commercial quantity and enhanced indoor cultivation of a plant for commercial purposes.
The first offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment. ■