Police raid cannabis 'factories' in Leicester and South Wigston
Officers outside the house in Upperton Road this morning
Officers outside the house in Upperton Road this morning
Police raided two suspected cannabis ‘factories’ thanks to tip-offs from members of the public today.
The houses, in Leicester and South Wigston, were targeted this morning.
Officers seized a number of cannabis plants in a house in Fairfield Street, South Wigston shortly after midnight.
Five men – aged 18,19, 20, 22 and 30 – have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
One of the men was arrested after officers chased him through a number of neighbouring back gardens.
The police helicopter was called in to assist officers on the ground in the search for the man.
A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said a member of the public had alerted officers because they were concerned about suspicious activity at the house.
The second illegal growing operation was uncovered several hours later in Upperton Road, West End.
Again, members of the public called police with concerns about possible drug activity there.
Officers found cultivation equipment inside the house but no cannabis plants. Nobody was arrested at the scene.
Officers remained at the house throughout the day to determine whether it had been used for cannabis growing or was being prepared for it.
Inspector Steve Brown, commander of Hinckley Road police station, said: “We acted on community intelligence we received about the house and discovered what we believe to be a cannabis factory which was not currently in use.
“We are searching it to establish whether it had been or was being prepared to grow cannabis.”
An Upperton Road resident said: “People thought the house was empty but apparently someone heard some noises coming from it on Sunday night and went to investigate.
“A number of people ran from the house and the person saw what they thought was cannabis growing equipment and called the police.
“The police came in the morning and went inside and apparently found all the equipment needed to grow cannabis.”
Tell-tale signs of cannabis factories, which have been found in homes as well as industrial buildings, include windows permanently covered, a pungent smell, visits at unusual times of day or a vent protruding through the roof or a rear window.
They are also notorious fire risks because the people who set them up often tamper with the electrics to bypass the mains.
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