£7 million cannabis seized in Leicestershire

A county-wide operation across Leicestershire has resulted in plants with a street value of more than £7m being seized.

Leicestershire Police joined other forces across the UK taking part in Operation Mille – a national campaign to locate cannabis grows and arrest those behind them.

Overall, £130m of drugs were discovered, alongside guns and cash in raids across England and Wales.

47 searches took place across the Leicestershire, with more than 9200 plants found and 29 people charged for drug offences.

The largest grow, which consisted of 1,248, was located in East Leicester.

Leciestershire Police said: “Those behind the grows often have little regard for the safety and welfare of others.”

“It’s important to remember that the illegal production of cannabis – which often involves vast amounts of electrical equipment like lighting and heating – poses a serious risk to the public.

“There is also another human side to this offending, with the creation and maintenance of large scale grows often linked with exploitation and forced labour"

"Since 2021, we’ve been called to six fires by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service because they’ve identified the cause as being from equipment inside that was used to grow cannabis."