Dunstable man arrested over half million pound cannabis haul

A Dunstable man has been arrested after officers discovered a cannabis factory worth around £1/2m, in Bovingdon.

On Monday morning (14 February), officers from Hertfordshire's Operational Support Group (OSG) raided an address in Chipperfield Road.

Police found 851 cannabis plants – with an estimated street value of over half a million pounds.

A 41 year old man from Dunstable, and a 50 year old man from Hemel Hempstead were arrested at the scene. They have since been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.

Officers then conducted a Section 18 search of a property in property in Printers Way, Dunstable, where they seized over £15,000 cash.

PC Juliette Cohen, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operational Support Group, said: “We are pleased that we have prevented this substantial amount of class B drugs from getting onto the streets and causing misery to lives. Cannabis factories are often linked to the exploitation of society’s most vulnerable.

“As well as being very unpleasant for neighbours and local residents, the factories also pose a significant fire hazard as they use large amounts of water and electricity, which are often syphoned from other people’s supplies.

“We get a lot of our intelligence regarding drugs thanks to vigilant members of the public reporting suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods, such as the cultivation of drugs or drug dealing.

“If you have any information about the supply of drugs please contact Hertfordshire Constabulary via the non-emergency number 101, report information online at herts.police.uk/report, or contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or submit details through their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.”

You can look out for the following signs of cannabis being grown in your community:

>A strong and sickly-sweet smell

> Lighting and ventilation equipment being taken into the house

> Windows always covered or blocked off

> People coming and going at all hours or neighbours you never see

> Strong and constant lighting at all hours

> High levels of condensation

> Constant buzz of ventilation equipment

> Lots of power cables around the property.