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comercial quantities of cannabis seized in PNG and found to be destined for Australia. Commonly referred to as "New Guinea Gold", these shipments are moved across the Torres Strait or Coral Sea into the remote areas of northern Queensland and to other parts of the continent. It is believed that hundreds of kilos enter Australia each year via these routes.
10.
No cannabis oil or resin is believed to be produced in Australia and the market for cannabis oil is limited. Several large seizures of cannabis resin were reported in 1991. In January 1991, 51 kg of cannabis resin was seized at the port of Fremantle, Western Australia, and in April, 227 kg of cannabis resin was seized en route from Amsterdam. In November 1.5 tonnes of cannabis resin was seized on an uninhabited island to the north east of Australia.
11.
Cannabis leaf continued to be freely available throughout Australia during 1991. Several large plantations were detected, but the general national trend now is towards the smaller, better concealed plantations. Methods of cultivation designed to avoid detection included hydroponic cultivation of cannabis, growing plants in underground bunkers and developing strains of cannabis that do not have the common appearance normally associated with the plant.
12.
Most states reported significant seizures of cannabis plantations in 1991. The large scale plantations of the 1980s appear to be making way for smaller crops to avoid detection. From the amount of cannabis seized yearly, it is apparent that Australia supplies a significant part of its requirements by domestic cultivation. Over the last year, there has been a noticeable increase in commercial indoor hydroponic cultivation. This has ranged from a franchising operation with a number of people growing 12 or so plants for a controller in Melbourne, to a group of criminals in Sydney who gutted five houses and installed sophisticated hydroponic and agricultural lighting equipment. This latter example would have required the services of experienced electrical, plumbing and woodworking tradespeople. The same group was also converting a factory building when arrested by NSW Police. Each house was capable of producing an estimated $A 1-5 million worth of cannabis per year.
13.
In Queensland there have been a few instances of large underground bunkers being used to grow cannabis plants. One bunker was four metres long and three metres high. The interior was fitted with heating and
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