23/01/2008 00:00:00
UK: Raid nets 4th cannabis farm in just weeks
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POLICE raided a cannabis-growing factory in Huddersfield – just 10
minutes after getting a tip-off.
Officers say the speed of yesterday’s operation on Blacker Road in
Birkby shows how quickly they can react to good quality information from
the public.
Insp Dave Barnett from HuddersfieldNorth Neighbourhood Policing Team
said that more than 300 plants had been discovered with a street value
of just under £100,000.
“The information was so good and accurate we treated it as an emergency
and moved immediately,’’ he said.
Police forced entry into the house and found a full hydroponic set-up at
the back-to-back home.
The plants were in the early stages of growth and have now been
destroyed by officers.
Insp Barnett added: “I fear we will continue to find these cannabis
factories in private rented houses with monotonous regularity.
“We are liaising with landlords urging them to check their properties
regularly and if they become suspicious of their tenants – or the
tenants deny them access – to contact us.’’
The find quickly follows three other cannabis factories discovered by
police already this month.
One was on Oak Road in Bradley where officers found 300 plants with a
street value just short of £100,000.
The other two were on Arnold Street and Norwood Road in Birkby where
officers found a total of 500 plants – many of them high strength
‘skunk’ cannabis.
The street value at these two houses is put at £150,000.
The raids are the latest in a series of operations in which police have
uncovered cannabis factories in Huddersfield.
Rooms are stripped bare and replaced with hydroponic set-ups with the
electricity supply to power all the lights needed to generate the heat
and light often bypassing the meter.
Plants worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have been seized in a
number of raids over the past 12 months.
Insp Barnett added: “The finds so far this year show that when we get
good information it can lead to quick action. Help us to tackle the
drugs menace by telling us about anything suspicious you see.’’
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13192
Author:
Huddersfield Daily Examiner via UKCIA
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