POLICE have uncovered another cannabis farm in Newport today - just days after discovering a set-up on the same street and another barely 400 metres from the central police station.
Since March, Gwent Police says it has seized just under £4 million worth of cannabis from Newport alone.
Officers carried out a warrant at an address on Commercial Street today, Friday, October 20, and discovered another cannabis farm.
A 53-year-old man from the Newport area was arrested on suspicion of cultivating a Class B drug and remains in police custody while enquiries are ongoing.
Adrian Daja, 27, and Andi Shabani, 28, arrested on October 10, have been charged with producing the drug at the former site of Wildings department store, also on Commercial Street, which closed its doors in 2019.
A recent "intensification week" from Monday, October 9, to Sunday, October 15, saw 14 people arrested, two large-scale cannabis farms dismantled and 18 kilograms of amphetamine recovered.
Superintendent Jason White says the force had noticed a rise in the number of disused buildings being used to cultivate cannabis since March.
“Before we can enter these properties, we need to seek the approval of the courts to enter a building believed to be in criminal activity,” the superintendent said.
“After building an intelligence picture which improves the likelihood of court granting a search warrant, we’ve uncovered several cannabis grows in the Commercial Street area and two cultivations elsewhere in Newport, along with others in Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen.
“Our officers have seized more than 5,000 cannabis plants in that period, with an estimated street value of just under £4 million from Newport alone.
“The work of our officers to bring in these hauls of illegal drugs appears to illustrate an operating mechanism of organised crime groups to find disused commercial buildings in built-up areas and turn them into high-scale drug production factories.
“We’re continuing to build our intelligence picture and when we have the required amount of supporting evidence, we will carry out further warrants to remove drugs from our streets which cause misery across the whole of Gwent.
“These seizures of cannabis indicates that when we have the intelligence, we will and do act accordingly.
“We’re committed to tackling serious and organised crime and I would encourage anyone – residents, retailers or even if your place of work is in that location – to let us know if you have any concerns or suspicions about illegal drug activity in your area.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Gwent Police on 101 or send a direct message on social media, quoting log reference 2300356796.
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