Qld cops make unusual fish tank find

Police looking for cannabis in a far north Queensland home have confiscated contraband of an entirely different kind - a 30cm saltwater croc.

Officers discovered the baby croc in a living room fish tank as they searched the Innisfail property for cannabis and steroids.

A police spokesperson said the reptile was "obviously well out of its comfort zone", so they took it to the police station and put it in a tank previously occupied by the police station fish.

A woman, 19, and a man, 23, have been charged with drug possession and are due to face Innisfail Magistrates Court on January 19.

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is investigating.

Saltwater crocs are a protected species and anyone possessing one without a permit faces a $353,400 fine or two years behind bars.