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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Merseyside 'cannabis kingpins' rounded up in dawn raids by police John Siddle Liverpool Echo Thursday 09 May 2013 Officers burst into properties in Dovecot, Prescot, Kensington, Old Swan and Everton at 7am yesterday. The ECHO understands the raids marked the end of an intelligence and evidence-gathering operation linked to a massive industrial-sized cannabis farm uncovered in North Wales last year. The investigation also probed suspected links to serious and organised crime. In searches of the raided homes yesterday detectives found relatively small amounts of cannabis and bags of white powder, suspected to be Class A drugs. They also seized £55,000 in cash from a car parked outside one of the properties. Seven men and two women were last night still being questioned. Detective Superintendent Chris Green from the police’s elite Matrix unit said the raids were the culmination of months of hard work. He said: “Cannabis cultivation is a serious crime which we know is linked to some of the violent crime that we are tackling every day on our streets. “Cannabis is not a harmless drug – it has serious physical and medical side effects and rival drug dealers will stop at nothing to protect their crop and customer base, including using violence and intimidation. “We have had some great recent successes in uncovering both small and large-scale cannabis farms tucked away in areas where we all live and today’s arrests are a further blow to the gangs profiting from growing and selling illegal drugs.” The nine people charged by police were set to appear at the city’s magistrates court this morning. Speaking immediately after the raids DS Green added: “This activity once again shows the relentless pursuit of those criminals involved in this and other types of criminality.” like gang and gun crime.” "Today's arrests show yet more enforcement activity by Merseyside Police in tackling the issue of cannabis farms being operated by criminal gangs who care little for the wider community. "A great deal of work went into gathering the evidence for these warrants and executing them successfully this morning so it is pleasing to see so many suspects in police custody. "I would urge the people of Merseyside to keep telling us or Crimestoppers where these farms are operating and we will take the neccessary action. Speaking after the warrants were executed, DS Green added: “Today’s activity is a coordinated series of raids across Merseyside tackling those individuals who are involved in large-scale cannabis production, the type of cannabis production that causes misery to communities.” Read more: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/2013/05/10/merseyside-cannabis-kingpins-rounded-up-in-dawn-raids-by-police-100252-33310027/#ixzz2Ss5kNLj3
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