The case in summary • Four men have been charged after the police discovered a large cannabis plantation in a mountain hall in Porsgrunn.• The defendants are said to have stolen around NOK 600,000 worth of electricity to run the production.• The plantation, which contained over 1,000 plants, was discovered due to the smell of cannabis.• The defendants are said to have had various tasks in connection with the production, including renting the premises, providing guidance on growing, watering and repotting plants, and cutting and planting cuttings.• One of the defendants is also accused of having stolen electricity for NOK 400,000, while another is charged with having stolen electricity for NOK 200,000. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. When the police raided the premises, which were hidden inside an old mountain hall behind the Civil Defense base in Porsgrunn, they found a total of 1,016 plants. In the dried state, it amounted to just over 60 kilos of THC-containing plant material. In order to carry out the production, two of the defendants are said to have also connected wires to an electrical cabinet, and in that way stole electricity worth around NOK 600,000. Noticed nothing A neighbor news has spoken to, who does not wish to be identified, says that they have not noticed anything about the illegal activity. This despite the fact that the shady gardening business has been going on for a long time. SEIZURE MADE: The police found over a thousand plants inside the mountain hall in Porsgrunn. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen – They must have come and gone at night. We haven’t seen, heard or smelled anything, says the person. However, it cannot have been completely odorless. It was the unmistakable smell of cannabis that prompted the police to take action, after receiving a tip-off. It is not the first time the police have smelled their way to a cannabis plantation. Lead on electricity theft: – Dangerous to life That electricity is stolen in connection with cannabis plantations is not entirely unusual. That’s what Thor Bjørn Omnes, head of communications at Lede, says. Thor Bjørn Omnes, communications manager at Lede. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – It’s not the first time it’s happened to us either, he tells news. In this case, the defendants must have connected electricity to the wrong side of the meter in the electrical cabinet that belonged to the mountain hall in question. – This is life-threatening, warns Omnes. He emphasizes that today it is far more complicated to steal electricity. And still just as dangerous. – Today we have two-way communication meters. It provides a completely different form of control over how much electricity is fed into the grid. Today it would be quickly discovered. Different tasks Today, four men sit on the dock when the trial starts in Telemark District Court. They must have performed various tasks in connection with the production. The illegal cannabis plantation was just behind the Civil Defense premises in Porsgrunn. Today the area is closed. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news The police believe that a man in his sixties from Vestfold, among other things, made sure to rent the premises in question, in addition to contributing to the actual production in the old mountain hall. The man is also accused of stealing electricity worth NOK 400,000. A man in his forties, living in Denmark, is said to have given advice and guidance on how the cultivation should be carried out. He is said to have also helped with watering and repotting plants. According to the police, an Oslo man in his forties contributed by cutting and planting cuttings for approx. half a year. He is also accused of stealing electricity worth NOK 200,000. Sisteman also comes from Vestfold. The man in his forties is accused of helping with the production. The defendants are defended by lawyers Anders Green, Caroline Lødemel, Kaja de Vibe Malling and Tollef Skobba. None of them have wanted to comment on the case before it starts. Neither has the prosecution, which consists of police prosecutors Torje Arneson and Trond Templen Grave. Published 19.08.2024, at 05.21
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Cultivated cannabis in mountain hall – allegedly stole electricity worth 600,000 – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
