Approx 400k cannabis farm dismantled in Bedale

Officers in Bedale have dismantled a cannabis farm worth approximately 400k as we issue a plea to people to report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood.

On Friday afternoon we received a call from an electrical supplier who raised concerns over irregular power usage at a premises in Bedale following a localised outage.

Officers attended the address at Jubilee Road in Aiskew. As they arrived two occupants ran from the area and a police helicopter was scrambled to assist with the search. A short time later we detained the two runners who were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class – B drug.

The men aged in their 30s are believed to be acting as part of an organised crime group based in the Western Balkan region of Europe. They have since been charged with cannabis production and are due to appear in court.

Inside the premises, officers discovered a highly professional and sophisticated large-scale cannabis farm with thousands of plants spread across several growing areas. We believe that it had been used by an organised crime gang to produce several crops with an estimated street value of £395,000 to £494,000.

The area commander for Hambleton and Richmondshire, Superintendent Teresa Lam said: “Cannabis farming is extremely harmful and is often linked to sophisticated criminality. It’s used to fund criminal gangs who are involved in serious organised crime such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation and the distribution of class A drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

“There are significant health and safety concerns linked to organised grows like this one which can cause various problems such as the electrical outage which was reported to us.  

“I’m grateful to the electrical supplier for providing the information and we continue to appeal for landlords, letting agents and the wider public to report any suspicious activity.”

If you feel threatened or in danger, always call 999.

Signs to look out for include:

Windows covered at all times

Excessive security measures

Lots of condensation

Unusual comings and goings - frequent visitors at unsociable hours. Or resident only visiting address occasionally – once or twice a week

Plant growing equipment going in and out of properties, such as soil/fertiliser and plant waste

Lot of cables and wiring

Bright lights day and night

Buzz of fans

A pungent smell

Vulnerable adults – sometimes vulnerable and trafficked people are forced to tend to cannabis farms

Snowless roof when everyone else’s is covered – cannabis farms create a lot of heat

Landlords

Be wary of anyone who offers to pay months’ worth of rent up front

Excessive electricity bills - have the electricity bills suddenly spiked or dropped?

Pay regular maintenance visits to the property and be suspicious if the tenant is never there or won’t let you in – call the police if you feel threatened