Up to £400,000 worth of cannabis has been seized by police in Salford.
Shortly after 5pm on Wednesday, police executed a drugs warrant on Worsley Road, Worsley.
Officers discovered the entire upstairs of the house had been converted into a large cannabis production farm, with all the upstairs bedrooms full of cannabis. There was also evidence that the electricity meter had been bypassed.
More than 630 plants were found and it is thought the yield could be up to £400,000.
Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle said: “This is a massively significant find and one that will hit the drug dealers where it hurts them most – in their pocket. When we talk about £400,000 worth of cannabis what we mean in real terms is nearly half-a-million pounds of drugs which might have found its way into a criminal’s pockets.
“This was sizeable operation, reflected in the fact the entire upstairs area was used to cultivate cannabis.
“Our inquiries will now be focused on finding who was responsible for such a large criminal operation,.
“Whoever is responsible has demonstrated a significant level of planning, but unfortunately for them this has been matched by our own determination to tackle drug dealing and organised criminality in our communities. Organised criminals see cannabis cultivation as a low risk, high profit venture, and there is clear evidence that they use cannabis production as a way to fund a range of other criminal activities, such as violent crime and trafficking Class A drugs.
“To produce the cannabis criminals often rent residential properties such as flats or suburban houses and as a result may bring violent crime into law-abiding communities and that is why we are so determined to tackle this sort of criminality root and branch.
“The warrants came about as a result of information from the public and I would like to thank them for that.”
Anyone who has information about a cannabis farm being cultivated in their community should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The signs to spot cannabis farming:
– Strong and sickly sweet smell
– Cannabis growing equipment
– Constantly covered or blocked off windows
– Visitors at unsociable hours
– Strong and constant lighting day and night
– High levels of heat and condensation
– Constant buzz of ventilation
– Lots of cables