THAMES Valley Police has announced that it carried out more than 30 warrants on suspected cannabis grows last month as part of an initiative to disrupt organised crime.
Through June, TVP made 35 arrests after carrying out 31 warrants on properties where cannabis production was suspected, and seized a number of electronic devices and plants.
In total, more than 8,700 plants were seized, worth an estimated £4.2 million, as well as 28 kilograms of packaged cannabis, around £40,000 of dried cannabis, and £5,780 in cash.
Fifty electronic devices were seized, including mobile phones, laptops, and a CCTV monitoring system.
It forms a part of a national operation designed to expose and disrupt revenue streams of organised crime groups, who often rely on the income from large-scale cannabis cultivation.
OCGs are directly linked to a range of other criminal activity, such as the import of Class A drugs, sexual exploitation, immigration crime, firearms offences, and money laundering.
Gangs also often fuel violence as they compete for territory to carry out criminal activities.
The period of intense action was designed to disrupt the revenue streams while apprehending a number of those involved, safeguard victims of exploitation, and to learn more about the networks of operation.
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All 43 police forces in England and Wales worked with regional organised crime units to target criminal networks.
Thames Valley Police has also shared a number of signs that there may be cannabis growing in a property:
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Blacked-out windows, or condensation even when it’s not cold
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Bright lights in rooms throughout the night
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Modified or altered electricity meters and exceedingly high electricity bills
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Powerful, distinctive aroma and noise from fans
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Deliveries of equipment, especially soil, lighting, or heaters
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Excessive amount of fertiliser, plant pots, or chemicals
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Frequent visitors at unsocial hours
Chief Superintendent Jim Weems of Thames Valley Police said: “Cannabis factories are a very real local threat– those tasked to look after the plants are often vulnerable and sometimes the victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.
“The size of criminal cannabis ‘factories’ means that damage is often caused to the properties themselves; the buildings can become dangerous as a result of fire risks, unlawful abstraction of electricity, fumes and water damage.
“Anyone with information about a potential cannabis factory or drug dealing can contact Thames Valley Police online or via 101. In an emergency always call 999.
“You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org”
Steve Jupp, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for serious and organised crime, said: “We know that organised networks involved in cannabis production are also directly linked to an array of other serious criminality such as class A drug importation, modern slavery and wider violence and exploitation.
“This operation not only successfully disrupted a significant amount of criminal activity, but the intelligence gathered will also help inform future law enforcement across the country.”
He continued: “Cannabis-related crime is often thought to be ‘low level’, however there are clear patterns around the exploitation and violence OCGs are using to protect their illicit enterprises.
“We also frequently find that cannabis production is just one aspect of their criminal operations and that they are complicit in wider offending which blights our communities.
“Working with law enforcement colleagues in the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, the ROCU network, and a host of other partner organisations, we’ve not only been able to disrupt the criminal operations of a significant number of organised crime groups, but also increased our understanding of their other illicit activities.”
