30/05/2007 01:00:00
UK: Cannabis farms being priced out
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London's housing market is slowing the growth of new cannabis factories
in the city, according to a new report.
The city's escalating house prices are hitting the profit margins of
gangs who operate such premises, the report from the Metropolitan Police
Authority says.
Between 700 or 800 properties in London are equipped with hydroponic
systems and lighting to cultivate large amounts of the Class C drug, it
claims.
They are often run by Vietnamese gangs who rent or buy houses, police
suspect.
The practice has become increasingly common across the country in recent
years, and more than half the cannabis consumed in Britain is now
believed to be grown in London.
Police tactics
Hi-tech police tactics such as using thermal imaging cameras to detect
cultivation equipment have helped to cut the growth of factories, the
report says.
However, the report also indicates that booming house prices also share
some of the credit.
"Intelligence indicates that the number of new factories being
established in London is gradually reducing (although there is a
suspicion that house prices play a part in this)," the report says.
"The Metropolitan Police has employed a number of tactics including the
use of thermal imaging, training on how to identify potential factories,
and engaging with landlords and electricity companies to build
intelligence pictures."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6704545.stm
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12577
Author:
BBC News via UKCIA
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