St Helens house raid nets £1.5m cannabis farm

Soft Secrets
06 Feb 2015

Almost 400 plants found in three bedrooms and loft on quiet St Helens street


Almost 400 plants found in three bedrooms and loft on quiet St Helens street

A £1.5m cannabis factory was found inside a family home on a quiet St Helens street.

More than 370 plants were uncovered in the house in Albion Street, spread across three upstairs bedrooms and a loft.

Detectives reckon the farm, which had a sophisticated hydroponics set-up, could have generated profits of up to £1.5m each year.

The electricity had been illegally tapped from the mains, enabling the crooks to avoid attention by running up huge energy bills.

Police, who raided the property on Thursday morning on the back of a tip-off, now want to speak an Asian man, of about 5ft 6in, who had been seen entering and leaving the rented property over the past few weeks.

Neighbourhood Inspector for St Helens Central, Dave Brennan, said: “Cannabis cultivation by criminal gangs can cause serious harm in our communities. Criminal groups involved in the cultivation of cannabis are usually involved in other serious organised crime and they often rent residential properties such as this.

“The growing of cannabis also brings dangers to neighbouring properties. Cannabis farms are a serious fire risk. Those who set up these farms often tamper with the electricity meters to steal electricity, and there will generally be a number of hot lamps hooked to overloaded electricity sockets and an extensive watering system.

“Electricity and water are never a good combination and the fire service have seen an increase in the number of fires they have been called to as a result of fires caused by the crude systems put in place by the people who set up these farms.

“Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making money, from turning houses and flats into potential death traps. Nobody wants to live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is using a property in a street for this purpose please tell us so we can take positive action and find those responsible for setting them up.”

Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown

• Strange smells and sounds

Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times

• Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting

Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed

• Heat from an adjoining property

Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather

• Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister

 

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/st-helens-house-raid-nets-8593201 06/02/2015

 

 

 

 

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