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Cannabis farms recovered in Newcastle

Northumbria Police

30 April 2009


Police have arrested two males after three separate cannabis farms were discovered in Newcastle.
In total, approximately 900 plants with an estimated street value of around £500,000 have been recovered, along with sophisticated heating and lighting equipment.
At midday on Monday, April 27, acting on information they'd received from the public, officers executed a search warrant at a house in Coldstream Road, just off the West Road. Inside they found four rooms being used to cultivate around 400 cannabis plants.
At around 2.50pm on Monday April 27, officers searched a house at Jenifer Grove, High Heaton, where they found a cannabis farm consisting of around 250 plants. A 15-year-old boy has been charged with producing cannabis.
At 9pm on Monday April 27, a report was received of a possible cannabis farm at Ilfracombe Avenue, Grainger Park. Officers attended and found a cannabis farm consisting of around 250 plants. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of producing cannabis and is currently in custody.
Enquiries into all three farms are continuing.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Hetherington, Newcastle Area Command, said: "Information from the public is vital in helping us recover and dispose of these farms.
"This activity on Monday shows we actively target the production of drugs in Newcastle and will investigate and take appropriate action in response to information we receive from within the community.
"In this case, with the help of the public and by working together with landlords, we've prevented a substantial amount of cannabis from reaching the streets of Newcastle.
"It's essential people look out for suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods and report anything out of the ordinary to police. This can include people arriving at unusual hours, a pungent aroma in the area, blacked out windows or bright lights through the night.
"By working together we can rid Newcastle's streets of the scourge of drugs."
Anyone with information about drug use and supply in their community should contact police immediately on 03456 043 043 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.