Five warrants executed as officers seize half a million pounds of drugs in cannabis factory raids

Earlier this week, officers from Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) raided five properties resulting in the discovery of 614 cannabis plants.

Sergeant Martin Maw, of Doncaster Central NPT, said: "These sophisticated cannabis factories are often hidden in normal, unassuming suburban homes, with vulnerable people recruited and exploited to look after the grows.

"Cannabis isn't a harmless drug. The sale of this drug funds organised crime groups who are responsible for some of the most serious violence we see on our streets.

"By cutting off their supply, we disrupt these groups' operations, and we will continue to act on our own intelligence and information submitted by members of the public to execute warrants and dismantle these set ups."

It is thought the plants recovered are worth in excess of £600,000, with two people arrested and charged with production of a Class B drug following the warrants earlier this week.

The properties raided posed a significant fire risk to neighbouring houses after it was found that the electricity had been bypassed.

The electricity board has since visited the properties and made them safe to eliminate this risk.

Sgt Maw said: "We are gathering more and more intelligence on cannabis factories across the Doncaster Central area and we will be collecting the evidence we need to secure legal warrants and dismantle these set ups.

"We invest significant resources into tearing apart these operations and I want to encourage the public to continue reporting information to us so we can investigate and act to put a stop to more of these cannabis factories."

If you are concerned about the production of supply of drugs in your local area, please contact police on 101 or submit information online via https://www.southyorkshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/.

If you want to submit information anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Some of the signs that a property is being used for growing cannabis include:

Heavy smell of cannabis

Windows blacked out

Excessive condensation on windows

Blocked letterbox

Heavy use of anti-odour devices

Visitors at unusual hours; only staying for a short period of time

Signs of a property not being lived in – bins not being put out, garden not maintained etc.