Cannabis worth over £860,000 seized in one week during police crackdown

Cannabis plants worth more than £860,000 have been seized from properties in mid and west Wales in just one week as police launch a crackdown on industrial scale drug production.

Dyfed-Powys Police took part in Operation Mille 3 – a week-long national policing operation aimed at disrupting large scale cannabis factories established by organised crime networks.

Over seven days, six properties were raided, with seven people arrested, and six of those charged with production of cannabis.

Teams including CID, proactive policing officers, neighbourhood policing and prevention, armed response, dog handlers and drone pilots all played their part in the activity.

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Criminal activity

Detective Chief Inspector Rich Lewis said: "In just one week we have seized and destroyed a significant amount of cannabis, which will in no doubt have disrupted organised criminal activity within Dyfed-Powys and beyond.

"The growth of cannabis on a commercial scale is a problem we have faced over the past year in Dyfed-Powys, but we are taking a robust approach to stamping it out.

"We are continually assessing intelligence around where these factories are being set up, and who is involved in establishing and maintaining them, taking swift action when we have enough evidence to strike.

"While our communities might be under the impression that cannabis on this scale would be grown in large industrial units, or out of town, this week of action has seen us target a number of terraced rental properties in or near town centres, which have been converted to grow hundreds of plants."

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Operation

He added: "These properties look perfectly normal from the street – as careful methods are put in place to cover up illegal activity.

"However, there are signs to look out for if you suspect you might live near a cannabis factory. We urge you to familiarise yourself with these signs, and to contact us if you have any concerns, or information to share."

For Dyfed-Powys, this activity is a continuation of Operation Scotney, a CID-led operation which has been running since January 2024.

In that time, warrants have been executed at more than 40 industrial scale cannabis factories, and over £12 million of cannabis seized.