$82M Worth of Cannabis Burned at Australian Sugar Plant

Workers at the Farleigh Sugar Mill in Queensland, Australia
prepare to destroy 33,000 cannabis plants.

   Authorities in the Australian state of Queensland just made the biggest marijuana bust of the year, hauling in 33,000 plant worth an estimated $82 million dollars from a Mt. Pelion property. Unfortunately, with a complete ban on fires in effect, they had no way of disposing of the seized cannabis and had to truck it to a nearby sugar mill to be destroyed.

   Farleigh mill factory manager Terry Doolan told the Daily Mercury newspaper that the mill was surprised to receive a call from police seeking its assistance to dispose of the cannabis haul.

   "It was out of the blue," he said. "We burnt the whole lot. It doesn't happen very often at all and we probably won't do it (burn cannabis at the mill) for the next few years. It was only because there was a total fire ban on (at the time)."

   Mr. Doolan said the cannabis was shredded and put straight into the mill's furnace. According to the Daily Mercury's report, Doolan didn't comment much on the smell created by the burning marijuana plants, but said it was "very strong".

   Police say the area where the plants were discovered was uninhabited and no one has been charged with a crime in connection with the case.