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Hundreds of thousands of cannabis plants are seized every year by police in the UK – but would you know if you lived next door to a cannabis farm?
In the year 2022/23, 15,570 cannabis plants were seized in England and Wales. This number was even higher the year before, when 785,955 were discovered by police.
Yorkshire and the Humber region was the hotspot for cannabis plant seizures in 2022/23, with 145,870 found.
Earlier this year, police warned that drug gangs were exploiting the decline of the high street by taking over empty shops and turning them into farms.
The warning came after officers found more than 3,000 plants in a vacant department store in Newport, South Wales.
But how would you know if you walked by a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood? Here are some things to look out for according to West Yorkshire Police:
Strong odours: Cannabis crops take around three months to grow, odours can be potent in the final weeks.
Covered up windows: Curtains always drawn up or windows covered/boarded up from the inside.
Excessive security measures: Excessive security measures such as extra locks or grilles on windows.
Lots of condensation: Cannabis plants need a greenhouse like environment to grow. Look out for condensation on the windows, especially in the summer months.
Lots of visitors: Frequent visitors at unsociable hours.
Resident only visiting address twice weekly: Some cannabis growers are extremely organised and only tend to the plants a couple of times a week.
Plant growing equipment: Look out for potential growers taking lots of plant growing equipment in and out of properties, such as soil/fertiliser and plant waste.
Lot of cables and wiring: Cannabis farm set ups require lots of cables and wirings for all the equipment. If wires are still hanging from ceilings/walls after a week, this may be a sign of a grow.
Excessive electricity bills (For Landlords): Have the electricity bills suddenly spiked or dropped? It may be likely that the tenants are fiddling with the meter.
Snow: Cannabis farms produce a lot of heat. Be weary of a property without a snow-covered roof.
Bright lights day and night: Cannabis plants need light to grow, look out for properties with bright lighting.
Buzz of ventilation: The constant noise of a fan could be for ventilation for cannabis grows.
Vulnerable adults: Sometimes foreign nationals are forced to tend to cannabis farms and are victims of human trafficking/modern slavery.
During June, Operation Mille, the largest of its kind and one involving every police force in England, Wales and Scotland, saw 200,000 cannabis plants seized, along with 15 to 20 guns and more than 40 other offensive weapons.
Around 11,000 officers were involved in the crackdown, during which £650,000 in cash was also seized.
Large-scale industrial units are used for cannabis farms but also empty residential homes.
Steve Jupp, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Serious and Organised Crime, said: “Cannabis-related crime is often thought to be ‘low level’; however, there are clear patterns around the exploitation and violence organised crime groups are using to protect their enterprises.”
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