Police discover £30k cannabis factory at Stoke house
Police found forty mature cannabis plants at the address
Police found forty mature cannabis plants at the address
POLICE responding to a suspected break-in at a home discovered a cannabis factory worth around £30,000.
Officers were alerted by a neighbour who was concerned the property in Stamer Street, Stoke, had been burgled.
But, when they arrived just before 2.20pm on Friday[JAN 30], they found around 40 mature cannabis plants and drug paraphernalia in the upstairs bedrooms.
No-one was in the terrace house at the time and officers believe it may have been rented for the sole purpose of cultivating the class B drugs.
Now an investigation has been launched to track down those responsible for growing the cannabis plants which have an estimated street value of around £30,000.
PC Barry Joynson was one of the officers who discovered the factory.
He said: “We had a call about a suspicious property in Stamer Street in Stoke. The caller thought the place had been burgled because the back door had been left open.
“We went to have a look and found the property empty, but with a lot of cannabis plants upstairs. There were probably around 40 5ft tall plants.”
Electricity supplier Western Power sent engineers to ensure the home was safe as the electricity supply had been bypassed.
PC Joynson added: “We will be making inquiries to establish who has been renting the property. I would say no-one was actively living here. There’s not a lot of stuff, and no personal items.
“All of upstairs was filled with cannabis plants. There were also lamps, power packs and extractor fans.
“We do see rented properties that are used to grow cannabis plants. They do it during that period of time then disappear.
“Inquiries are ongoing to identify the offenders. We are committed to the ongoing fight against drugs in the city.”
Scenes of crime officers carried out forensic tests at the house. Some of the plants were retained as evidence, while the rest will be destroyed.
Neighbours spoke of their shock at the discovery.
Emerly [CORR]Thin lives a few doors up on Butler Street.
The 17-year-old said: “I can’t believe that they found this so close to my house. It’s scary. I live here with my family. In the evenings, people regularly knock on the door and there’s often a lot of young people hanging around the street on motorbikes. It’s not a great place to live.”
Eighteen-year-old Jodie Baker, of also lives on Butler Street, said: “I’m not that surprised because it’s typical of this area. I think it would be scary if I had kids but I don’t, so I’m not that bothered. I’ve lived here for about four months and there’s always something going on.”
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