Plants worth nearly £500,000 seized in West Leicester as part of cannabis crackdown

Hundreds of cannabis plants with a value of more nearly half a million pounds have been seized by officers as part of a nationwide crackdown.

Last month Leicestershire Police took part in Operation Mille along with forces from across the UK. The operation aimed to locate cannabis grows and arrest those behind them.

Following on from previous enforcement in 2023, this year’s operation focussed on several addresses in the Newfoundpool area between 17 and 26 February.

This included seven warrants which were executed under Section 8 or Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. In total, more than 450 plants were seized.

Cannabis seized as part of Operation Mille

Areas where warrants were executed included Tudor Road, Pool Road, Oban Street, Vaughan Street, Ruby Street and Hawthorne Street. In addition to this:

• Four operational cannabis grows were dismantled
• Equipment used in the cultivation of cannabis, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, was seized by officers
• More than £1,000 in cash was also seized
• One man, aged 19, was arrested and charged in connection with the cultivation of cannabis. He is due to appear at court at a later date
• Four prohibition orders were issued against dangerous properties, which will require remedial construction work before being licenced for re-letting
• Four electricity meters which had been bypassed were checked and made safe

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Pearson, who oversaw the operation, said: “Tackling the production and supply of cannabis – which is a category B and illegal drug – remains a priority for the force.

“The latest Operation Mille focussed on areas of West Leicester where information was given that plants were being grown. Thankfully we’ve been able to prevent them from being cultivated and distributed across the streets of our city, counties and beyond.

“I’d like to stress that there are other elements to identifying and locating cannabis grows because those responsible have little regard for the safety and welfare of our communities.

“The illegal production of cannabis involves vast amounts of electrical equipment, such as heating and lighting, which is usually connected in a way that poses a serious fire hazard.

“I’m pleased to report that during this latest enforcement a number of properties and electricity meters that were unsafe were identified and the issue rectified.”

Inside properties where cannabis was being grown

Inspector Ryan Hayes, commander for the West Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA), said: “Officers from the area will always act on information received that concerns the production and distribution of cannabis.

“I’d encourage anyone who has information regarding such crimes to make a report either directly to police or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

“Following this enforcement, local teams will continue to carry out further work to raise awareness of the dangers that the cultivation of cannabis can pose.

“We’ll continue working with local authorities and landlords so that they know how to identify fraudulent identification documents, which are often used by tenants so they can use a property solely for growing cannabis.”

• Reports of cannabis production can be made directly to the force by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or calling 101
• Alternatively, reports can be made to Crimestoppers anonymously by visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-campaigns/campaigns/report-cannabis-cultivation