Over the past several years, thermal imaging cameras have become a trusted tool in the war on drugs. That’s logical enough, right? The combination of aircraft and infrared is a great way to spot grow ops.

A house that’s growing weed tends to stand out from its neighbors rather dramatically. Big red blotches raise eyebrows. So do high electricity bills.

There are, of course, other things that check both those boxes. Australian police found that out recently when they stormed a suspected grow op and found a massive cryptomining setup.

The home, owned by crypto enthusiast Rob Butvila, attracted police attention for a few other reasons. There was the solar array on the roof and security cameras monitoring the yard. There was even an exhaust fan, just like the ones cops often find at an actual grow op.

There were also reports of a suspicious person who kept entering the house late at night.

Butvila certainly seems to have a simple, believable explanation for each of those. Crypto rigs produce a lot of heat and the fan was simply directing that heat outside. The solar panels were there to offset his utility bills.

As for the cameras, Butvila wasn’t living in the home yet. He was renovating it and wanted to be able to keep an eye on things even when he wasn’t around. That character arriving in the dark? You guessed it. It was Butvila dropping by to work on his own house.

You can imagine his dismay when he returned to the house after the police had executed their search warrant. They had left the house unlocked. Fence panels, gates, and doors had been removed, and not necessarily with any degree of finesse. Some were simply given the business end of a tactical boot.

To make matters worse, Butvila discovered that some of the wiring for his surveillance system had been cut and one of his hard drives was missing. He’s currently trying to get answers from — and some repair bills paid by — the police.