Photos show the scale of a cannabis farm worth £700,000 in a former South Shields bar
Northumbria Police have discovered and shut down an industrial-sized drugs factory in South Shields.
Officers from Northumbria Police’s Neighbourhood Support Team (NST) discovered an industrial-sized cannabis farm after they raided the former Raffles Bar building, on Ocean Road, in South Shields last Friday (April 10).
Police were acting on intelligence received from the local community who noted a strong smell coming from the ‘disused’ building.
Once inside the premises, police uncovered a large-scale cannabis farm made up of more than 1,300 plants and a range of associated equipment.
The plants were all at various stages of growth and were situated across three floors - with the value of the farm placed at £700,000.
Officers also discovered that the electricity had been bypassed inside the building, which required to be made safe by Northumbria Police’s partners.
Inspector David Heron has praised the work of the local community for helping officers shut down the industrial-sized farm.
He said: “This was a sophisticated set-up which took a number of days to dismantle due to its size and complexity.
“This team has been responsible for the identification and disruption of a number of cannabis farms in South Tyneside in the last few months, however this one is without doubt the largest.
“We often see farms such as these the start point for other organised criminal enterprises, so shutting these operations down is just one step in disrupting those networks.
“It’s thanks to the hard work of intelligence officers and neighbourhood teams, who have come together to secure such a positive result, with the assistance of our local communities.”
Inspector Heron has also called on the public to continue sharing intelligence if they suspect any criminality within their local community.
He added: “We’d ask the public to continue to help be our eyes and ears to this type of criminality and we’d especially ask landlords to be extra vigilant with who might be renting or using their units and premises.
“If you see anything suspicious in your community, please let us know. Your information could result in us bringing effective justice against criminals who are operating in your area.”
Anyone with concerns should contact police by sending them a direct message on social media platforms, by visiting the website, or by calling 101.
In an emergency, you should dial 999.