£ 2million a year flats turned into mega cannabis farm destroyed

A specialist police unit has dismantled cannabis farms that had the potential to net those responsible £ 120million in just 12 months.

A total of 219 sites were destroyed by the Merseyside Police Cannabis Dismantling Team in 2020, resulting in the seizure of just over 30,000 plants.

Five thousand more plants were recovered compared to the previous year, when 182 farms were removed by the dedicated unit.

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Figures shared with ECHO revealed the enormous scale of cannabis production and the value of the illicit industry to criminals in the region.

Among the more than 200 farms removed by CDT last year was a unit of 500 factories spread over two apartments on Aigburth Road which could be worth up to £ 2million a year and a slightly smaller site account held at an annual value of £ 1.8m on Bentley Road in Toxteth.

A farm of 300 plants spread over seven rooms on Osborne Road in Tuebrook was lit by 475 light unit transformers.

One of the biggest hits came when police discovered a huge farm in a former milk factory in St Helens.

The Duncan Street site was home to over 1,500 plants, meaning that, with crops that could be harvested four times a year, it had a potential annual yield of almost £ 7million.

Cannabis is a Class B drug, which means that the offenses and penalties for the substance are less severe than Class A drugs like heroin and cocaine.

But while lucrative, the farms are often hotbeds of exploitation, while the money raised is sometimes used to fund other aspects of the gangs, including the purchase of weapons and more expensive Class A operations.

Industry violence was gruesome in a case that ended at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this month.

Three men were jailed for the torture of two workers at a cannabis farm who were tied up, beaten and said their relatives would be shot.

The victims were accused of facilitating the theft of crops harvested from a farm in the countryside of St Helens.

They were taped and beaten with a selection of weapons, including a sledgehammer, claw hammer, metal wrench, and pickaxe. with an electric drill.

The violence took place in September of last year.

Gangs often seek to operate farms on abandoned and unoccupied properties, including residential streets where they hope they can operate beyond suspicion.

But farms also pose a danger, with standard electrical units bypassed so criminals can power farms without paying for electricity. Questionable electrical installations pose a huge fire risk and have led to the digging of streets to repair damage to power networks.

This was the case on Flint Street in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle after a £ 3.5million farm was discovered in the first weeks of the first nationwide pandemic lockdown in spring 2020.

Speaking to ECHO, Matt Brown, director of the Merseyside Police Cannabis Dismantling Team, highlighted the dangers of cannabis farms.

He said: “The criminals who grow cannabis in the heart of our communities only care about making money.

“They don’t care about the fire hazards they bring to neighboring properties, or the violence associated with drug trafficking that might be brought into the area in which they have set up their farms.

“They also do not think about the exploitation of these vulnerable people who are often forced to take care of these premises.”

Of the farms operated by CDT last year, 134 were in Liverpool, 28 in Wirral, 20 in St Helens, 19 in Sefton and 18 in Knowsley.

Dozens of other farms have been destroyed so far in 2021, some of a significant size.

Police discovered a four-room site at a Rocky Lane home in Tuebrook as late as Wednesday.

Over 1,000 plants have been recovered, giving the unit a potential annual value of up to £ 4million.

Brown believes a number of factors are behind the growing number of agricultural discoveries.

He said: “The increase in the number of cannabis farms identified and dismantled has been a significant trend over the past 18 months in Merseyside. We believe there are a number of factors behind these positive results.

“By speaking with our communities and raising awareness of the dangers of cannabis farms, awareness continues to grow about the signs to spot cannabis farms in our communities.

“Following the introduction of restrictions in March of last year, we have also seen a drop in reports of other types of crime, which has allowed us to devote even more resources to proactive policing, and targeting cannabis farms in our communities has resulted in a significant increase. in recoveries.

“While it’s encouraging to seize more cannabis plants and keep people safe, we would prefer people not to take the risk of producing illegal drugs at all.

“The key to any police success lies in providing information to those who live and work in the vicinity of these potential death traps. If you have any information about any suspected drugs grown or supplied to your location, let us know and we will continue to take this positive action. It helps to be aware of some of the signs of cannabis growth, and we’ll do the rest.

Signs that cannabis is cultivated:

• Strange smells and sounds
• Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times
• Gardening equipment brought into a property, such as plant pots, fertilizers, fans and industrial lighting.
• Windows are sealed and covered or curtains are permanently closed
• Warmth of an adjoining property
• Birds congregating on a roof in cold weather
• Individually these activities may seem trivial, but together they may indicate something more suspicious.

Police video guide to spotting signs of cannabis farms can be found here.

Anyone with information about suspected drug production or criminal activity in their community is encouraged to contact Merseyside Police via Twitter (@MerPolCC), calling 101 or informing Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online. here.

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