17/01/2008 00:00:00
UK: Police swoop on cannabis factories
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CITY police have swooped twice this week on two cannabis factories in
Fishermead.
The raids on the three-story houses started on Tuesday afternoon when a
property in Porthleven Place was accessed by Neighbourhood Specialist
Officer PC Mark Ridley and his team.
No-one was inside the house but officers discovered a fully established
cannabis factory.
With the exception of the ground floor kitchen – which was being used as
a bedroom, every room was full of cannabis plants at varying stages of
maturity.
Hundreds of plants were under special lights in rooms with blacked-out
windows. Fans were placed around the crops to keep the rooms cool.
Makeshift chimney flues were fitted into the ceilings to direct the
fumes up and out of the house.
"We found out about this factory through intelligence from sources as
well as the local community," said PC Ridley. "We've been neighbourhood
officers for three years now and in that time we've been able to develop
a good relationship with the community."
The following day (Wednesday) police forced entry to another cannabis
factory – on nearby Polruan Place. Again, no-one was in the property,
but this time the factory did not appear to be in current use.
Sgt Dave Pegg, who was part of the team, said: "There is evidence that
the property has been used as a cannabis factory but it looks like no
one lives here at present.
"There are filled-in holes in the ceiling where air vents were fitted
and compost and chemicals stored in the loft for future use."
More than 50 black bin bags were removed from the loft and sent away for
disposal.
Along with the compost there were a number of bottles of fertilizer and
lengths of hose which had been converted to an irrigation system.
A police spokesman said: "The raids were part of Operation Falcon, which
itself is a campaign to tackle drug dealers, reduce drug-driven crime
and disorder, and to promote treatment opportunities for addicts.
"The campaign is a long-term initiative, aimed at improving the quality
of life for residents across the city."
Thames Valley Police have issued advice for neighbours and landlords on
how to spot a cannabis factory:
l The windows of the property are permanently covered from the inside.
l Visits to the premises occur at unusual times of the day or night.
l People often do not live in the premises and only visit to maintain them.
l There may be a vent protruding through the roof or a rear window.
l There may be a pungent smell coming from the premises.
l There may be noise coming from the equipment in the premises (i.e.
cooling fans).
http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/Police-swoop-on-cannabis-factories.3682447.jp
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13171
Author:
Milton Keynes Citizen via UKCIA
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