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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Massive double drugs bust
Marcus Dysch thisislocallondon.co.uk
Friday 28 Apr 2006 Two huge cannabis factories, capable of producing drugs with an estimated street value of £200,000 a year, have been found in quiet, residential streets in the borough. Barnet police raided a semi-detached house in Crescent Road, East Barnet, on Tuesday, following a tip off from a member of the public. They found rooms full of cannabis plants that could make £25,000 worth of drugs four times a year. Officers described the factory, believed to be set up by Vietnamese gangs, as potentially the biggest of its kind in the borough's history. The second factory was discovered after firefighters were called to a fire at a semi-detached house in Second Avenue, Hendon, on Tuesday night, last week. They found hundreds of cannabis plants as they put out the blaze, which started when wiring in equipment used for growing the plants malfunctioned. A Second Avenue resident, who asked not to be identified, said: "I saw a few plants through a glass door, but the electricity board told me there were plants growing all the way up to the loft." The three-bedroom property in Crescent Road contained sophisticated lighting and hydroponics systems, worth £15,000, which were used to ensure the plants could grow without the need for constant maintenance. Industrial-sized ventilation pipes funnelled fumes out through the chimney, with the electricity meter bypassed to avoid detection. Electricity board officials calculated that the amount of electricity used illegally in the house was the equivalent of the combined usage of the whole street, and said the bill could total £70,000. Windows at the house had been sealed and covered so neighbours would not discover the factory. Floors were littered with marijuana, rubbish and small beans used to facilitate the growth of the plants. The team of officers from CID and the East Barnet Safer Neighbourhoods Team also found a machete in the hallway, which they believe could have been used to defend the property. Bin bags stuffed with leaves and plants were stored inches from the front door. The high-strength cannabis, known colloquially as skunk, grown in the house has a street value of £114 per ounce. PC Jim Kellett, a drugs intelligence officer with CID, urged Barnet residents to look out for other hidden factories. He said: "You could be living next door to a factory. This is a nice, house in a private, quiet road. "The producers are professionals. This is top-grade skunk. It is an impressive set-up.This is the biggest raid I have been involved in, and it is a great result. "The Vietnamese people will only come round at night and then leave the property with sacks of cannabis. The person they send in is just a gardener', as it were." Mr Kellett said drug bosses send single Vietnamese women to rent properties and will pay one year's rent and council tax up front to avoid suspicion or interference throughout the year. Sergeant Geoff Carter, of the new East Barnet Safer Neighbourhoods Team, based at Cat Hill, East Barnet, said: "This is a good result for the team. We have sent out a clear message. "We are very positive about identifying someone, but it might take a few weeks. We are looking at all levels, from the gardener' to the producers and top bosses." A neighbour who arrived home with her young daughter during the raid, said: "I had no idea what was going on. It is a bit worrying that this can happen in this little street, especially with a nursery school down the road." In the 2005/06 financial year, Barnet police raided ten drug producing facilities in the borough. The house in Crescent Road was bought for £306,000 in November 2003.
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