Three men arrested as large-scale cannabis farm found in Birkenhead

We have arrested three men and discovered a large-scale cannabis farm following a warrant at a premises in Birkenhead on Thursday 7 July.
 
At around 9.30am, officers from our Targeted Team carried out a warrant at a warehouse in Thomas Street, leading to the seizure of more than 2,000 cannabis plants and equipment in various of growth, and across 13 growing rooms.

One man was arrested at the scene and a second man was arrested following enquiries.

The men, aged 32, 29 and 19 and from Liscard, were arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis and abstracting electricity and remain in custody for questioning.
 
The premises was made safe by our Cannabis Dismantling Team (CDT) and our enquiries are ongoing.

 
Matt Brown, who leads the CDT: “This was a significant find of cannabis and equipment seized by our officers, which will make neighbouring properties and the local community a safer place to live.
 
“Setting up such large-scale cannabis farms and extracting electricity illegally in this manner poses a serious risk of fire and flooding to residents and businesses. Such organised operations also attract the risk of violent crime from drug supply.
 
“If you spot any signs that cannabis is being grown near where you live and work please let us know so that we can continue to take action. Any information helps residents and the work we do, so make us aware and we will investigate.”
 

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 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 drug production or criminal activity in their community can contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or come forward anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.