CANNABIS COWBOYS LEAVE TOWNS HIGH AND DRY

A gang of cannabis growers is believed to be responsible for leaving a
large area of south-western NSW exposed to bushfire damage as summer
approaches, by stealing vital water regulation equipment across nine
shires and using it to irrigate marijuana crops.

Several 15-metre steel radio towers, large television towers, radios
and assorted electronic equipment have been spirited off during the
night from remote roads over the past two years.

The gang appears to be well-drilled, selecting its targets precisely
and operating with military precision.

Some of the large towers - which have taken a dozen men a full day to
install, using a truck and a crane - have been dismantled in the
middle of the night and taken away by dawn, without a trace.

There have been no witnesses to the thefts, and the cost of replacing
the equipment is running as high as $100,000 in some cases.

The organised gang has swept through rural shires covering 22,000
square kilometres, selectively stealing equipment which can be used to
operate water pumps by an electronic signal from hundreds of
kilometres away.

Undeterred by security, the thieves have used cutting torches to rip
through steel doors to steal some equipment.

The general manager of the Goldenfields Water County Council, Mr Paul
Ballard, said local police believe the equipment is being stolen for
the express purpose of regulating the irrigation of remote marijuana
crops.

Mr Ballard said that if the pumps are switched off when the equipment
is stolen, firefighters are left without water if a bushfire threatens
homes in the area.

If the equipment is stolen while pumps are still switched on, water
levels can drop dramatically because the pumps cannot be turned off
until new equipment is installed.

This has caused serious problems for small townships, leaving them
stranded without water for days or under the imposition of water
restrictions.

Goldenfields Water County Council covers Bland, Coolamon, Cootamundra,
Harden, Junee, Narrandera, Temora and Young shire councils, and is
considering posting a reward for information about the thieves.

Neighbouring Parkes shire has also been plundered and concern is
rising as summer approaches.

"It could really wreck us in the middle of the summer because the
demands are so much heavier on the water supply," said Mr Robert
Parsons, water supply supervisor with Parkes Shire Council.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry