Five appear on cannabis charges

Five Christchurch people arrested during a nationwide operation to crack down on cannabis cultivation will appear at a hearing to alter their bail conditions next Thursday.

Christchurch District Court heard today that five people had been arrested in Christchurch following Operation Lime - which targeted indoor-gardening suppliers around the country last month. 

Four of them were named in court documents as Joanna Mary McNeill, 36, a company director, Cole Wayne Samual Millar, 35, a labourer, and Kane Nathan McNeill, 19, an electrician, who are all from Cashmere, as well as Michael Dennis Ross, 31, a sales assistant from Avondale. 

At a previous hearing the court heard that Michael Ross and Joanna McNeill worked for Pet and Garden Supplies on Fitzgerald Avenue. 

The four are charged with a raft of charges relating to possessing and cultivating cannabis, as well as supplying equipment which could be used to grow the drug. 

None of the four appeared in court yesterday and their lawyer Jonathan Eaton said a fifth person arrested during the raids had been remanded by a registrar. This person was not named. 

Eaton said some of the arrested people had issues around bail conditions relating to a shop which had been involved in the operation and were seeking to have these relaxed. 

A bail hearing will be held on May 20 in Christchurch District Court.

- © Fairfax NZ News