More than £1.5million of cannabis plants seized in month-long crackdown

Cannabis plants with a street value of more than £1.5million have been seized and destroyed after Nottinghamshire Police took part in an operation to tackle illegal production of the Class B drug.

Officers in the county joined forces across the UK in a month-long national operation to locate cannabis grows and arrest the organised criminals responsible for them.

As part of June’s Operation Mille, 22 warrants were executed at locations including Nottingham city, Mansfield and Sutton-in Ashfield.

A further 12 searches took place across the county which have further disrupted this criminality.

A total of 3,285 plants were seized, 30 people arrested and four people charged and remanded.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Austin, who has led on the operation for Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This national operation has complemented our ongoing efforts to tackle the illegal production of cannabis and bring the criminals responsible to justice.

“Cannabis production is sometimes described as a victimless crime – in reality this could not be further from the truth. It attracts antisocial behaviour, usually has links to wider criminality, and poses a dangerous fire risk too, due to electricity being bypassed.

“There is also a human cost. Vulnerable people are often exploited to do the dirty work of organised gangs and expected to live in appalling and dangerous conditions as gardeners for the grow in order to help organised criminals make huge profits.

“I’m delighted that our month of enforcement, which saw multiple police teams working together and utilising community intelligence, resulted in more than 1,900 plants being seized by officers.

“As well as stopping the plants from making it to our streets, we’ve also identified those behind the grows, making multiple arrests and charges.

“Our work to disrupt this criminality continues and we are grateful to members of the public who time and again provide us with vital intelligence about cannabis grows within their community.

“I would urge people to continue to come forward as their information may be the missing detail we need to take action.”

Across the UK, coordinated raids under Operation Mille have led to 1,000 people being arrested and £130million of cannabis seized.

Nearly 200,000 cannabis plants were recovered, along with £636,000 in cash and 26 kilogrammes of cocaine. Of those arrested, more than 450 were later charged.

Anyone with information about a potential cannabis factory or drug dealing can contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101.

People can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org

There are some key signs to spot a property could be being used as a cannabis factory:

• Frequent visitors to a property at unsocial hours throughout the day and night;
• Blacked out windows or condensation on the windows, even when it is not cold outside;
• Bright lights in rooms throughout the night;
• Electricity meters being tampered with/altered and new cabling, sometimes leading to street lighting. High electricity bills could also be an indicator;
• A powerful, distinctive, sweet, sickly aroma and noise from fans;
• Lots of work or deliveries of equipment to an address, particularly those associated with growing plants indoors without soil such as heaters and lighting;
• An excessive amount of plant pots, chemicals, fertilisers, and compost.