Notts police issue ‘relentless pursuit’ warning to crime bosses as £600,000 worth of cannabis recovered at farms in Mansfield

Officers recovered a significant amount of cannabis and arrested four people in a series of drugs raids in the morning on Friday, August 6.

The force swooped on properties in Mansfield, Hyson Green and Stanton Hill, following another search in Hyson Green yesterday.

Police were called yesterday after an energy company visited a property in Noel Street to chase up a non-payment of bills and found cannabis plants inside.

A man was seen on the roof when officers arrived and when they entered the house they discovered 200 plants spreading across four floors.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis.

The raid came a day after officers targeted an address in nearby Laurie Avenue, where they discovered around 188 plants in three upstairs bedroom and the loft and a 34-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis.

The plants from the two properties, which are believed to have a total street value of around £400,000, have been removed by the cannabis dismantling team and destroyed.

Cannabis plants worth more than £220,000 were also seized during an early morning raid in Mansfield.

Officers forced their way into a property in Laurel Avenue, Mansfield, shortly after 8.30am on Friday, August 6 and found around 350 cannabis plants split between two terraced properties.

Two men, aged 22 and 20, were arrested on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis and remain in police custody.

Police also discovered the remains of a cannabis grow on the first floor and loft of a property in Co-operative Street, Stanton Hill, following a report of a burglary just before 6am yesterday.

It appeared that the mature plants had been taken, with around 90 immature plants left behind which have since been removed by officers.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Make no mistake, cannabis production is not harmless – far from it.

“It is a serious offence that is often linked to organised criminality and a range of serious offences – from significant incidents of violence to people trafficking.

“Vulnerable children or adults are often exploited and forced by organised crime groups to stay at the properties – often in dangerous and unsanitary conditions – to tend to the plants.

“Unsuspecting neighbouring families are also often put at risk by cannabis farms which can be targeted in violent home invasions by rivals gangs as they try to steal the crop.

“All of this risk to communities is being created by crime bosses who don’t care one jot about the dangers or misery they are creating in our communities.

"All they care about is lining their own pockets.

“If anyone has any suspicions about this type of criminal activity, I would urge them to let us know as soon as possible so we can act to keep their neighbourhoods safe.”

Anyone with information about cannabis production or dealing is urged to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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