
Officers have arrested a man and seized a cannabis factory worth more than £1.5 million following a warrant in Anfield this morning.
At around 10.45am, officers entered a property on September Road and located a large-scale cannabis factory across four separate rooms, containing a total of 435 plants. Equipment was also seized, and the electricity meter was bridged and subsequently made safe.
A 24-year-old man of no fixed abode was found inside the property. He has been arrested on suspicion of cannabis production; abstraction of electricity and an immigration offence. He has been taken to a police station for questioning.
Matt Brown, who leads our dedicated Cannabis Dismantling Team, said: “Cannabis grown on such a large scale presents a massive risk to those who have the misfortune to live in the vicinity. On this occasion, the electricity meter had been bypassed, which can and does cause fires to break out. Nobody wants to live next door to a fire and flood risk.
“We’ll keep working alongside local authorities, energy companies and housing providers to take action.
“The production of all illegal drugs also attracts serious, violent crime to these doorsteps, and we’re determined to remove all of these threats.
“If you are worried that cannabis is being grown in your community, tell us what you know and we will take action to make your streets safer. Be aware of some of the signs and how to report them to us, and we’ll do the rest.”
A video where Matt explains how you can spot signs of cannabis being grown where you live can be found here - https://youtu.be/rc59i2dsZHM
Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are:
• Strange smells and sounds
• Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times
• Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting
• Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed
• Heat from an adjoining property
• Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather
• Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister
Anyone with information on suspected cannabis growing in their community can contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or come forward anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.