Organised crime groups targeted by police, who arrest 35 and seize cannabis plants worth an estimated £4,202,400
Thames Valley Police has carried out 31 warrants on suspected cannabis grows as part of the largest national operation of its kind, aimed at unearthing and disrupting organised crime groups (OCGs) and their illegal revenue streams.
The warrants, which ran through June 2023, saw 35 arrests as well as the seizures of drugs, plants, and electronic devices.
Criminal networks involved in drug dealing, sexual exploitation, immigration crime and money laundering were targeted by police, who focused resources to tackling large-scale cannabis cultivations – a key source of illicit income for organised gangs.
Cannabis cultivation is intrinsically linked to serious criminality, with the drugs trade fuelling gang violence as groups compete for territory to carry out their criminal activities.
OCGs are directly linked to a range of other criminal activity including class A drug importation and supply, sexual exploitation, immigration crime, firearms offences, and money laundering.
More than 8,700 cannabis plants were seized, along with 28kg of packaged cannabis, £40,000 of dried cannabis, £5,870 in cash and 50 electronic devices including mobile phones, laptops and a CCTV system.
The intensification period was designed to disrupt OCGs by taking out a key source of their revenue, while simultaneously apprehending many of those involved, safeguarding those being exploited, and increasing intelligence around how the networks operate.
Results from Operation Mille included:
31 warrants across the Thames Valley
8,755 plants seized worth an estimated total of £4,202,400
35 arrested concerned in the supply of class B drugs, cultivating cannabis and money laundering
50 electronic devices including mobile phones, laptops and a CCTV system
£5,780 in cash also seized during warrants
All 43 police forces across England and Wales, working with Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) and partner agencies, dedicated resources to target the criminal networks involved in cannabis production and other serious criminality.
There are some key signs to spot a property could be being used as a cannabis factory:
Frequent visitors to a property at unsocial hours throughout the day and night.
Blacked out windows or condensation on the windows, even when it is not cold outside.
Bright lights in rooms throughout the night.
Electricity meters being tampered with/altered and new cabling, sometimes leading to street lighting. High electricity bills could also be an indicator.
A powerful, distinctive, sweet, sickly aroma and noise from fans.
Lots of work or deliveries of equipment to an address, particularly those associated with growing plants indoors without soil such as heaters and lighting.
An excessive amount of plant pots, chemicals, fertilisers, and compost.
Chief Superintendent Jim Weems of Thames Valley Police said: “Cannabis factories are a very real local threat. Those tasked to look after the plants are often vulnerable and sometimes the victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.
“The size of criminal cannabis ‘factories’ means that damage is often caused to the properties themselves; the buildings can become dangerous as a result of fire risks, unlawful abstraction of electricity, fumes and water damage.
“Anyone with information about a potential cannabis factory or drug dealing can contact Thames Valley Police online or via 101. In an emergency always call 999.
“You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org”
Steve Jupp, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Serious and Organised Crime, said: “We know that organised networks involved in cannabis production are also directly linked to an array of other serious criminality such as class A drug importation, modern slavery and wider violence and exploitation.
“This operation not only successfully disrupted a significant amount of criminal activity, but the intelligence gathered will also help inform future law enforcement across the country.
“Cannabis-related crime is often thought to be ‘low level’, however there are clear patterns around the exploitation and violence OCGs are using to protect their illicit enterprises. We also frequently find that cannabis production is just one aspect of their criminal operations and that they are complicit in wider offending which blights our communities.
“Working with law enforcement colleagues in the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, the ROCU network, and a host of other partner organisations, we’ve not only been able to disrupt the criminal operations of a significant number of organised crime groups, but also increased our understanding of their other illicit activities.”
