TINNIE-HOUSE RAIDERS VOW TO KEEP UP FIGHT

As police pull into Lappington Rd to raid an Otara tinnie house this
week, two young women and a child are reversing out of the driveway.

The front-seat passenger has just passed $20 through a window at the
back of the house in exchange for a "tinnie" of marijuana.

It is the fifth time the recently qualified legal secretary has
bought drugs from the house. It should also be her last, but some
people don't seem to learn.

The young woman is one of more than 40 people who have been caught
buying cannabis during the past few weeks in Otara.

Many have been professionals and turned up in work vehicles; others
have been mothers who have brought their children along for the ride.

On Wednesday, a 19-year-old woman was caught.

She was four months pregnant and had brought her toddler along.

The following day it was the two women, with the 2-year-old girl in
the backseat.

The child's mother said she couldn't see anything wrong with it, as
her daughter was too young to understand what was going on.

Ironically, she then rebuked her daughter for throwing rubbish out
the window, saying "Naughty, there are police here".

While police have been focusing their efforts on catching cannabis
buyers in Otara this month, they switched focus on Thursday and
targeted a seller.

The Weekend Herald was allowed to join officers on the raid.

When the police convey arrived, one car blocked the young women with
the toddler as they were reversing out of the driveway, while a dog
unit and other officers drove over the kerb and into the front yard
of the duplex home.

Within seconds they were smashing in the back door, where the legal
secretary had just brought her tinnie.

Inside they found 23 tinnies, cash, a hammer and cricket bat by the
door and a man who was later charged with selling drugs.

There was a large TV sitting on a table.

It was connected to a camera upstairs so the seller could see who was
coming and going.

There is a very good chance he watched as his buyers were arrested
outside the house this week, but still he kept selling.

While police searched through bags of rubbish and collected evidence,
a policewoman questioned the legal secretary outside. The woman
admitted buying the drugs but her main concern seemed to be the
Herald photographer.

"Does he have authorisation to be here?" she asked the officer.

When told he had every right to be there, the woman said, "Well I
don't want my photo taken".

The officer replied: "Well you shouldn't have bought drugs then."

Police say they will continue targeting drug buyers and sellers in
Otara until the town is off the map as a "tinnie house destination".

Lappington Rd is now off the map, but for how long is unknown.

Police say that were it were not for the guards left in place after
Thursday's raid, there is a good chance a new seller would have moved
in and the operation would have been up and running again that afternoon.