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UK: Cannabis factories surge in disused buildings

AFP

Tuesday 17 Aug 2010

LONDON — Thousands of cannabis factories were uncovered by police last year, in locations varying from farms to disused cinemas, a report revealed Tuesday.

Police detected more than 6,800 cannabis farms and factories in the UK in the last 12 months -- more than double the number found in 2007-2008, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said.

Acpos's report on the commercial cultivation of cannabis found a growing variety of locations being used for the activity, from industrial buildings to former pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, printworks and banks.

More than 1.3 million plants with an estimated value of £150 million were recovered over the last year.

Acpo's lead on cannabis, Commander Allan Gibson of the Metropolitan Police, put the increase in detection down to greater enforcement and public awareness.

"Between 2004 and 2007, 800 cannabis factories a year were being uncovered by the police," Gibson said. "That rose to over 3,000 a year in 2007-08 and over 6,800 in 2009-10.

"This increase is attributed to a number of factors, including an increased focus on law enforcement."

He said publicity around cannabis since its reclassification in 2008 has also led to more people reporting unusual signs of habitation in buildings.

Blacked-out windows, condensation, strange smells and people coming and going at all hours are possible signs of a factory, police advise.

Cannabis growers are often involved in other crimes, ranging from counterfeiting currency and money laundering, to firearms, prostitution, and people trafficking, Acpo found.

The face of cannabis growing is also changing, the report said, with more white British offenders than ever before, the majority of them aged between 18 and 35.

The largest factory found was in an industrial unit in Haddenham, Cambridgeshire where more than 7,600 plants were recovered with an estimated value of £2.5 million.

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