Police in raid on suburban drugs factory (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Police in raid on suburban drugs factory

DS Andrena Rhodes in the Wootton Bassett Road house with some of the cannabis plantsPOLICE officers have smashed a money-spinning cannabis factory after a raid on a Swindon house.

Nearly 500 cannabis plants were seized from the property in Wootton Bassett Road.

The raid took place after officers on patrol noticed particularly bright lights glaring from inside the house.

Police were unsure of the potential street value of the find, but it is expected to be worth many thousands of pounds.

When officers raided the three-bedroom home they found a high-tech system of heat lamps keeping dozens of rows of cannabis plants in good health.

The house's electrical system had been modified with an extensive network of transformers powering the many heat lamps which gave the giving the plants all the light and heat they needed for growth. And to ensure they wouldn't be detected, the growers had even bypassed the electric meter.

A special ventilation system had also been rigged up ensuring that the tell-tale smell of the plant would not be detected.

Investigating officer DC Andrena Rhodes of Swindon CID said she was shocked at the scale of the operation.

"I have never seen a factory on this scale before, it's an extremely professional set-up and I think closing it down will have a big impact on whose operation this was," she said.

Every available room was given over to the production of cannabis and although many plants had already been harvested, the kitchen contained many rows of new plants ready to grow.

The bathroom was used to mix the exotic nutrients required for plant growth, while the converted attic, where temperatures were soaring to 47C (115F) appears to have been used for both growing and potting the plants.

Over the weekend, officers from Swindon Police's scientific support were closely examining the house looking for clues to the identity of the growers and officers say they are already following up leads.

Once investigations are complete, the cannabis haul will be destroyed.

Neighbours were surprised to hear about the discovery on their doorstep.

Richard Brister said: "It was a bit of a surprise. This is a quiet area, apart from the traffic, you certainly would not expect anything like this to happen around here."

John Sutcliffe said: "It was all very surprising, the first I heard was when I came home on Saturday and saw the police cars at the front and back.

"It's always been very quiet, everyone gets on with each other. I believe the house was converted a few years ago so it had two bedsits, but I didn't know the owner, I have only ever seen a couple of Oriental men go into the house. I always thought they looked like students."

DS Mark Luffman, of Swindon CID, said: "This was a well-organised operation, and even with all this equipment, it could not run itself and would need regular checks from the growers so we are asking the local community for their help to see if they noticed any regular visitors to the house or other suspicious goings-on."

Police say they are particularly interested in information on people of Oriental appearance who may be linked with the house.

Anyone with information about the growers should call police on 01793 528111 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Lower class

CANNABIS is derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant, which is grown around the world.

It became a controlled substance in the UK in 1928, but in 2004 the drug was declassified from a Class B drug to a Class C.

Despite the declassification the production, possession and distribution of cannabis is still illegal.

Usually the drug would be confiscated and a warning given but the likelihood of arrest increases if you are caught with the drug in public places or in areas near children, such as playgrounds or schools.

Over the past few years, the Evening Advertiser has reported on several hauls of the plant found by police.

In September 2003, officers swooped on a haul of 30 cannabis plants being grown in a field in Wanborough. The plants, worth roughly £3,000, were planted deliberately to blend into the rest of the greenery and would have gone undetected except for the potent smell.

In April 2003, the Evening Advertiser reported the case of Nicholas Griffin who grew the plants in his bedroom. When officers searched his room they found a home-grow set-up with high-powered lights and a ventilation system to encourage the growth of the plants.