Police swoops uncover £700,000 of cannabis in Ashfield

Officers discovered more than 400 cannabis plants at a semi-detached house on Bannerman Road on Sunday (May 31) – the latest in a series of high value raids. A 21-year-old man was arrested and released on bail. The plants will now be destroyed.

In the last month substantial cannabis grows have also been discovered at two other addresses in the district.

Officers forced entry to a property on Lindley Street on May 23 after a tip-off from local residents. Cannabis plants worth approximately £180,000 were seized from inside.

A house on Springwell Street, Huthwaite, was also raided by officers on May 6. A total of 235 plants with a street value of up to £230,000 were recovered and another man was arrested.

Inspector Mark Dickson, responsible for neighbourhood policing in the district, said: “These were all substantial, highly sophisticated cannabis grows and am delighted that such a significant quantity of drugs has been taken off our streets in such a short space of time.

“The cultivation of cannabis on this scale is an extremely serious offence and my officers and I will continue to do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.

“I know that some people think growing cannabis is a victimless crime, but they are wrong. The large scale, organised production and distribution of drugs blights communities and ruins lives. In my experience it is also often linked to offences of modern slavery – where people vulnerable people are forced by potentially dangerous criminals into living and working in what are essentially drug factories.

“This kind of large scale cannabis cultivation can also be extremely dangerous to people living in adjoining properties. The heat given off by these kind of grows is tremendous and – when combined with often dangerous and bypassed electrics – poses a significant fire risk.”

Nottinghamshire Police also revealed they had also taken another £1million of cannabis off the streets in Eastwood.