A raid of a Carlton cannabis factory has showcased the poor living conditions experienced by ‘growers’.
Police attended a house in Fraser Square, Carlton, after receiving reports it was being used as a base to grow cannabis.
When their knocks went unanswered, officers executing a warrant used a ram to break their way through the front door on Tuesday (5 December) morning.
A search was then carried out of the property, with police quickly finding and detaining a sleeping suspect.
The man in question had been asleep on a makeshift mattress placed under a counter on the kitchen floor.
As officers moved through the address, it was quickly discovered that the rest of the property had been completely converted into sophisticated and dedicated areas to cultivate cannabis.
A large cannabis grow containing more than 30 fully-grown plants was discovered in the living room, with the electricity found to be bypassed to power it.
More grows and bin bags filled with cropped stems and leaves were then found in each of the three rooms upstairs – taking the total number of cannabis plants up to 56, on top of the already cropped product found.
A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and abstracting electricity without authority.
The pre-planned warrant was organised and carried out by Gedling Operation Reacher officers, supported by the wider Carlton neighbourhood policing team.
All of the drugs were seized by the police, while the electrical equipment was dismantled and put beyond use.
Sergeant James Carrington, of the Gedling Operation Reacher team, said:
“This incident sadly provided a typical example of the poor conditions those who live in these homemade cannabis farms are often required to live in.
“On this occasion, a man was found sleeping on a makeshift bed made up on the kitchen floor, with the rest of the property completely dedicated to growing cannabis.
“These types of operations regularly result in vulnerable people being exploited by organised criminals and having to live in appalling conditions without gaining the financial benefits themselves.
“This set-up also provided a very real fire risk to the surrounding community, with the electricity being bypassed to the extent that it put other residents in real danger.
“We won’t tolerate these types of operations in our area and will continue to do whatever we can as an Operation Reacher team to try and stamp out cannabis production from our communities.
“The public has a role to play in helping us identify cannabis grows like this, so we’d ask anyone who has any information that could help us to call the police on 101, so that we can act.”
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