Setting the record straight on rural versus remote after big drug bust

Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from ACM, which has more than 100 mastheads across Australia. Today's is written by ACM national agriculture writer Chris McLennan.

Today I want to correct (but not offend) one of Victoria's senior policemen.

And at the same time make it clear not all people living in the bush are dills.

It follows a remarkable drug bust last week by police who made eight arrests and seized more than 1.4 tonnes of cannabis.

Police had targeted an Asian organised crime syndicate allegedly cultivating large commercial quantities of cannabis in regional Victoria.

Specialist police dramatically roped down from helicopter into two rural properties in Dunluce and Kamarooka - both near Bendigo in central Victoria.

They also made arrests at residential addresses in Deer Park and Maryborough.

Congratulations to our police for the success of their investigation and the bust - good work.

Police issued a media release quoting Detective Superintendent Dave Cowan from the Organised Crime Division after the operation.

I take no issue with much of what he said.

But I heard it said on a TV report, and checked the police release to make sure it was true, and it was.

"These properties are incredibly remote and there were a number of sophisticated measures in place in an attempt to remain undetected by authorities," Supt Cowan said.

They are not incredibly remote.

They are in the country, that is all.

I can think of many remote places, none in closely settled Victoria.

Crooks already know fewer people are living in the country than the city.

We don't want to be hanging out an open invitation to them.

A comment was made to me on the weekend questioning how these alleged drug growers could operate in the country without anyone noticing.

Then came the expected cliche, of country folk being easy to fool.

That got my back up, as it was intended no doubt.

Number one, we don't yet know whether country people tipped the cops off.

These are mostly respectful people who are not in the habit of flying drones over the top of their neighbour's properties.

I wouldn't have a clue what goes on in my big town street, I'm not a nosey neighbour.

It sounds like these alleged crooks knew what they were doing.

Just like those organised crime types who lease farms to grow illicit tobacco.

Unless you take a walk through a fence and into the crop, it is difficult to be certain of their crime before you go bothering officialdom.

Cops are fairly thin on the ground in the bush.

People have been growing marijuana on farms for many years.

I've been in the middle of a marijuana plantation not far from this plot at Kamarooka.

Soon after finishing my journalism cadetship at Kerang, I joined the Bendigo Advertiser as a police reporter.

I joined some local detectives for a day out of the office during a state-wide police operation on drugs.

We headed out to investigate a phone report (yes from a country person) of a neighbour she suspected of growing marijuana plants.

The farmhouse was ramshackle and didn't look lived in.

But marijuana plants were growing wild and some were still being watered in a tattered greenhouse, hundreds of them.

This was gold for any news reporter paid to beat the opposition, the biggest drug bust of the day and I was in the middle of it.

The police shot a roll of film of each other (no mobile phones back then) and handed it to me.

As we left, the police boss ordered the detectives to park nearby, hidden from sight, so they could keep watch on the farm entrance.

We waited for hours, but no one came.

My scoop was not such hot property after the long wait, although the pictures were welcomed.

Supt Cowan should have the last words.

"Organised crime entities living in rural parts of the state who think their distance from the city affords them anonymity or impunity - you are sadly mistaken. You will be held to account no matter where you are. It is as simple as that."

Well said.

Keep out.