Five arrested and cannabis farm recovered in Childwall

We arrested five men and recovered a cannabis farm in Childwall yesterday (Tuesday 22 June).

 

Officers executed a Misuse of Drugs Act Warrant at an address on Taggart Avenue yesterday morning.

 

A cannabis farm consisting of 120 plants at various stages of growth, spread across two rooms and associated growing equipment was recovered.

 

Five men aged 20, 20, 25, 25 and 29, all of no fixed address, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis, possession of criminal property, illegal entry to the United Kingdom and abstracting electricity. They have been taken into custody for questioning.

 

Sergeant Nicola Hamilton from our Matrix Priority Crime Team, said: "This sizeable cannabis farm brought with it all the usual associated risks to the local community, namely fire, flood and the risk of violence and criminal exploitation.

"We sometimes see negative comments when removing cannabis farms to the effect of 'what is the harm of cannabis?' and asking why we bother with such work. I want to assure people that we see the harm caused by cannabis and other drugs every day throughout Merseyside and are committed to reducing such risk. We see people being forced to grow cannabis by organised crime groups, to the consequences of violent fallouts connected to local supply, and serious health effects from its use. 

“No law abiding person wants to live next-door to such death-traps and we do all we can to remove cannabis farms and make our communities safer.

"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 get in touch with us and we’ll act."

A video in which Matt Brown from our Cannabis Dismantling Team 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.