Suspect in drugs raid (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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Suspect in drugs raid
3:00pm Friday 11th January 2013 in News
Police arrested a 52-year-old man after they found cannabis plants at a flat he was renting from a religious group.
The raid on January 3 at 11.30am targeted two properties, one in Lodowicks, Bremhill, and another East Tytherton, which were linked to the same suspect.
Officers found 61 grams of cannabis at Bremhill and at the East Tytherton address they found five cannabis plants and hydroponic equipment.
The flat at East Tytherton was being rented from the Moravian Church, a Christian organisation which has a small congregation in the village and has four different properties in the area.
These are rented at a low cost to those who need somewhere to stay as part of its charity work. The church said the tenant applied for the house in February last year.
The church also takes part in village events and visits the elderly and housebound to help them in their homes.
Church treasurer Peter Gubi said the church preferred to let the property to members, but at the time none of them needed a place to stay. He said the tenant was not a member of the congregation and he was taken on trust.
Mr Gubi said: “There’s been a lot of talk about it in the village beforehand so it wasn’t a great surprise.
“It’s not the sort of thing we like going on here, I expect members of the church will be upset when they know. I presume he will be given notice to quit the tenancy and we will let it out again when he’s out of it.”
PC Hans Monahan said the cannabis plants, measuring between 18cm to 47cm, had been taken to Melksham police station.
He said: “This was a combined effort of the neighbourhood policing teams in Chippenham and Calne, which allowed a simultaneous warrant to be successfully completed.”
The man was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to supply. He will appear at North Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court on February 15.
