Four people have been charged after police found a cannabis farm with a street value of more than a million pounds.
Police were made aware of suspicious activity at a home on Tuesday afternoon.
When officers arrived the seemingly empty property, they noticed the windows were open and a strong smell of cannabis was coming from the home.
Once inside the Newcastle home, they uncovered a cannabis farm made up of around 3,265 plants, worth around £1,370,000, spread out over three floors.
Five people were arrested at the scene and four have since been charged, according to Chronicle Live. One man, aged 22, has since been released under investigation.
Detective Constable David Hodgson of Northumbria Police praised the rapid police response and said the property was one of the largest buildings he had seen used for this type of criminality.
He said: “This was a sophisticated set up, hiding in plain sight and I am pleased that the farm has now been dismantled and arrests made.
“This was a big operation with around 35 growing rooms spread across the property. The yield that we seized has the potential to be worth in excess of a million, and there is the possibility there have also been further yields this year. The men using the building did not have the owner’s permission to be inside and have caused around £100,000 worth of damage as well as bypassing the electricity.
“To be clear, our communities do not benefit from these so-called business. They often funnel their proceeds into further crime, exploit people and not only pose a health and safety risk to those inside the farms but to the wider community living nearby. We are thankful that the information received allowed us to quickly dismantle the farm and seize the plants and equipment.”
Det Con Hodgson added: “More often than not, these types of illegal enterprises operate under the radar which is why we rely on information from our communities in order to help us build up a clear intelligence picture and then act on it.
“We would also like to remind landlords and property owners to be vigilant with their empty premises, to take an interest in who might be using them, and report any concerns or anything that doesn’t feel right to us. Under the banner of Operation Sentinel, we will continue to take action against perpetrators and tackle serious and organised crime in the North East.”
Anyone with concerns about suspected criminality in their community is encouraged to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or by calling 101. In an emergency, always ring 999.
Four men have been charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis and are due to appear before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
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