Police discover large cannabis farm above shop in Newark
Almost 500 plants have been seized and destroyed
Police have shut down a cannabis farm in Newark after discovering almost 500 plants above a former shop.
Officers were called to the high street in Middle Gate at around 9am on Monday (October 24) to reports a window had been smashed.
A total of 466 plants were located in a flat above a shop, which had its electricity bypassed to power growing equipment.
Inspector Matt Ward, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thanks to the instinctive actions of our officers in deciding to investigate this property further, we have been able to dismantle a cannabis grow that looked an accident waiting to happen.
“As these pictures clearly show, the haphazard way that electricity was bypassed to fuel this grow was incredibly dangerous and irresponsible in the extreme.
“When you consider the close proximity of this address to other buildings next to it on the high street, a fire caused by this illicit enterprise could’ve easily spread and put other people at risk.
“It’s for this kind of reason why we take such a strong stance on anyone looking to cultivate cannabis in our communities.
“There is a common misconception that growing cannabis is a victimless crime but this just isn’t true as it can put people in danger.
“In addition to being a fire hazard, cannabis cultivation and drug dealing also typically has links to wider criminality and often involves vulnerable people being exploited to carry out dangerous roles.
“We don’t want this kind of activity on our streets, so we’d ask anyone who is aware of any such operations to get in contact with the police as soon as possible.”