Man arrested and two cannabis farms seized in Wavertree

We arrested a man and seized two cannabis farms from addresses in Wavertree yesterday, Tuesday 13 July.

At around 9.30am, officers were making enquiries on Alderson Road when they noticed a strong smell of cannabis from a residential address and suspicious activity. Entry was gained and a cannabis farm with more than 40 plants was found inside along with growing equipment.

A 17-year-old male from Gillingham was arrested on suspicion of cannabis production. He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries. 

Following enquiries, a warrant was executed at a second address in Alderson Road and 60 cannabis plants were seized by officers across two rooms. 

Matt Brown, who leads our Cannabis Dismantling Team, said: "Thanks to our eagle-eyed officers, two large cannabis farms are no longer putting the community at risk of fire and flood, as well as violence and criminal exploitation. The arrested man is now under investigation as our enquiries continue.

“No law abiding person wants to live next-door to such death-traps and we do all we can to make the streets safer, and ensure that equipment used raises money for local community projects.

"Keep your eyes, ears and noses open to the signs that cannabis is being grown where you live and work and we will keep taking action. All information helps the work we do, so make us aware and we'll be there."

A video in which Matt explains how you can spot signs of cannabis being grown near where you live can be found here - https://youtu.be/rc59i2dsZHM

Some of these signs 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

If you have any information about suspected drug production in your area, please contact @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.