Man arrested and cannabis farm seized in Wavertree

Officers in Wavertree arrested a man and seized a cannabis farm of over 160 plants yesterday, Wednesday, 21 April.

At around 7pm, Matrix officers attending to an unrelated matter at an address in High Street located cannabis plants in the premises, along with growing equipment. Following a search, 163 plants were seized from across two flats.

A 23-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of cannabis production. He has since been released under investigation as enquiries continue.

The property has been made safe and an investigation is underway.

Matt Brown, manager of the Cannabis Dismantling Team (CDT) said: “The production of cannabis presents massive risks to those unfortunate enough to find themselves living close by and can present threats including fire and flooding, along with serious and organised crime.  

"Thankfully, a further 163 cannabis plants have been prevented from reaching our communities following yesterday’s seizure and we are now making further enquiries to establish the full circumstances. If you have information on this incident, or on the production or supply of drugs in your area, please get in touch with us, or call Crimestoppers with the details so we can take action.”

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 suspicious

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.