Cannabis farm discovered in commercial unit in Chester

Officers in Chester have seized hundreds of plants, believed to be cannabis, from a commercial unit.

On Saturday 26th April, officers from Chester Beat Management Team attended a commercial unit in Hartford Way, Chester, following reports of suspicious activity.

They discovered a suspected cannabis farm and a total of 299 plants were seized, along with a large amount of associated equipment.

No arrests have been made and enquiries are currently ongoing.

Inspector James Wilson said:

“We removed almost 300 plants from this location, believed to be cannabis, as well as growing equipment. This has disrupted a significant operation and prevented suspected drugs from being supplied on our streets.

“We hope this reassures the public that we do listen, and we do act on information reported to us.”

There are a number of signs that could indicate that a property or building is being used as a cannabis farm, including:

• A strong and sickly-sweet smell.
• Equipment to grow cannabis being taken into a property, such as lighting and ventilation equipment.
• Constantly covered or blocked-off windows – cannabis farms often have constantly closed curtains, black-out blinds or foil coverings.
• People coming and going at all hours or neighbours you never see.
• Strong and constant lighting day and night.
• High levels of heat and condensation – cannabis farms often give off heat and the windows stay misted up.
• A constant buzz of ventilation – listen out for a whirring sound as the growers try to create an ideal climate for cannabis plants to grow.
• Lots of power cables – offenders often dig underground to lay cables that hook up to things like lamp posts so they do not have to pay for the enormous amounts of electricity they use.

To report a suspected cannabis farm or any other type of drug-related offence, call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, give the details online via the website or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you have any information in relation to this suspected cannabis farm, contact Cheshire Police quoting 25000341761.

Pictured - Police Officers with some of the seized plants.