Police uncover £750,000 drugs “farm”

POLICE today appealed to the public to look out for the signs of cannabis cultivation – as officers uncovered a cannabis farm with drugs worth £750,000 being grown only a short distance from Warrington.
The “farm” was at the semi-derelict Daresbury Hall which has been standing unused for years.
Chief Inspector Paul Beauchamp said: “This was a significant find and fortunately, we have been able to put a stop to it.
“In total 600 cannabis plants were recovered from inside the premises, which have an estimated street value of approximately £750,000. This is a great result as we believe that these drugs could well have been destined for the streets of Runcorn or further afield.”
Enquiries into the discovery are ongoing, and no arrests have been made so far.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 542 of 28/4/2015.
Over the past three months officers have seized over £3 million worth of cannabis after closing farms Warrington, Macclesfield, Northwich, Little Budworth and Runcorn.
Following these successful seizures officers are now asking the public to look out for cannabis cultivation in their local communities and report any suspicions that they have.
Chief Inspector Paul Taylor from the Cheshire Police Intelligence Bureau said: “Information received from the public has provided a vital role in the successful cannabis farm closures that we have seen so far this year. Following this success we are keen to gather even more information from the public to help tackle the organised crime groups who are operating them.
“In recent years we have noticed that these groups have developed the way they cultivate Cannabis, not only are disused commercial and industrial premises being used but now also a significant amount of activity is taking place in houses, which are often rented from private landlords.
“Not only is this type of activity detrimental to the local community, but it also has wider economic consequences due to theft of electricity, which is estimated costs customers £200 million per year across the UK.”
Cannabis farms also pose a threat to life due to fires.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service head of prevention and protection Keith Brooks said: “The set-up of cannabis farms often involves bypassing the electricity supply or tampering with the wiring which is highly dangerous and can lead to a serious fire.
“This poses a great risk to members of the public, particularly if they live next door to the property as the fire could quickly spread, and is also dangerous for the firefighters who would be called to respond.”