[[{“value”:”
Cannabis farmers can use residential or commercial properties which range in size from just part of a room or a whole house to even a warehouse.
Cannabis is not only a controlled Class B drug, but commercial farms are often linked with increased crime in the area, alongside significant fire and safety risks.
Production of the class B drug with intent to supply carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
Police say cannabis farms are often owned and managed by serious organised crime gangs who exploit very vulnerable people to tend them and take the blame if things go wrong.
Police in Northwich and Winsford have discovered no shortage of cannabis farms in recent years.
Last month, 27-year-old Albanian national, Neim Hoxha, was jailed for three years after police raided his farm, worth £166,000, on Millbrook Close in Winsford in September 2024.
Neim Hoxha, 27, was jailed for three years in December 2024 after his £166,000 cannabis farm in Winsford was rumbled by a savvy neighbour (Image: Cheshire Police) The bust was a result of a tip-off from a savvy member of the public.
Mark Platt, 55, was also jailed in December 2024 for a total of 27 months for a range of drugs offences, including a 218-plant cannabis farm, potentially worth more than £215,000.
In June 2023, Eduard Miceli, 20, was sentenced to two years for his sophisticated 100-plant farm in Walker Road in Winnington.
Cheshire Police say there are a number of signs which could indicate a property 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 which hook up to things like lamp posts so they do not have to pay for the enormous amounts of electricity they use
Mark Platt, 55, was jailed for 27 months after his cannabis farm in Winsford was discovered (Image: Cheshire Police) Police Constable Callum Burness said: “These types of grows are often linked with organised crime groups and usually involve the exploitation of vulnerable people who run the grows on behalf of career criminals.
“Local officers are continuously acting on intelligence and carrying out regular enforcement activity to go after these organised groups and to stop those at risk of being exploited and forced into criminality.
“I urge anyone with any information about suspected drug related activity in their community to get in touch.
“You will be listened to, and we will investigate the matter.”
To report a suspected cannabis farm or any other type of drug-related offence, call us 101, give the details via our website or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
“}]] Cheshire Police has shared five ways to spot a cannabis farm, with supply and production of the class B drug carrying up to 14 years in prison Read More
