By Christine Allison

These dramatic photographs of the interior of a house that was raided show the scale of the cannabis-growing operation behind closed doors.

The shots which demonstrate ‘the hash reality’ of what’s going on in the suburbs were released after cops smashed a £3 million cannabis-growing ring.

A ‘hothouse of crime’ is apparent showing the massive scale of the cannabis-growing operation ,with generators, ventilators and fans being used deal with the scorching heat in these factories.

But a growing number of cannabis ‘factories’ are being nipped in the bud thanks to a nationwide crackdown involving Crimestoppers which is helping police root hem out.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ward, Crime Co-ordinator at the SCDEA stated: “Cannabis factories pose a potentially lethal fire risk in local communities. If anyone suspects this activity is taking place in their street, they should phone the police or Crimestoppers straight away – it could save their life and the lives of their family and neighbours.

The aim is to disrupt and dismantle those involved in the cultivations of cannabis in residential properties. In the past ten years, the volume of cannabis grown in the United Kingdom has risen from 10% to 60%. The people behind this are involved in serious crime.

To date, several thousand cannabis plants have been seized with the yield value ranging between £500,000 - £3 million pounds.(The higher amount would be the street value when the plants are fully grown).

An increasing numbers of people are setting up cultivation units – some in luxury homes valued at about £750,000 which has been legitimately rented from landlords - and tampering with gas and electricity meters to avoid paying the heating bills required to grow plants.

Detectives believe that a network of gangs made up of British and South East Asian criminals are behind the clandestine enterprise, the biggest of its kind uncovered in Scotland.

Arrest numbers from the blitz – dubbed ‘Operation League’ – were in double figures.

Not only is the money made from cannabis cultivation ploughed back into serious crime by gangsters, but the by-passing of the electricity needed to ‘power up’ the factories causes risk of fire and electrocution and there have already been several devastating blazes.

Extractor fans, wires from overloaded sockets and hot lamps cause fire risk for unaware neighbours

Fire chiefs warned that marijuana farms put lives at risk with indoor temperatures of up to 50C and overloaded electrical sockets.

Up to 5,000 plants have been seized from the properties following tip off’s leading to more than a dozen arrests during ‘Operation League’ which prompted Strathclyde Police to tell people what signs to look for.

People should look for the following tell-tale signs.

• Windows of the property are permanently covered from the inside
• Visits to the premises occur at unusual times of the day or night
• People often do not live in the premises and only visit to maintain them
• The offenders may call daily or weekly but usually do not stay long
• The cannabis or by-products such as used fertiliser will be removed in black bin bags or laundry bags
• Compost bags or gardening equipment may be left outside, usually in the rear of the premises
• There may be a vent protruding through the roof of a rear window
• There may be a pungent smell emanating from the premises
• There may be noise coming from the equipment in the premises (cooling fans)

Various police forces across Scotland have also discovered cultivations and are actively targeting this issue.

Speaking at a Press briefing in Glasgow, Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Whitelock, Director of Intelligence for Strathclyde Police said:

“Notwithstanding the obvious criminality involved, there is a serious threat to public health and safety of the risk of fire from the cultivations and in particular to properties in close proximity to the cultivation site. Such cultivations require heat and this is achieved by converting a normal house into a green house and using a variety of means to bypass the house electrical supply feeding directly from the mains. A number of cultivations have been discovered because of outbreaks of fire.

“With the assistance of our partner agencies, we intend to raise public awareness through the use of various websites and widely circulate information leaflets to communities throughout the force area.
Cannabis is not a harmless drug and the type being produced, known as ‘skunk’, is a potent and potentially dangerous form of cannabis that can cause serious risk to health.

“In partnership with the SCDEA and other Forces and Agencies we are actively targeting the organised criminals behind this crime. This is a highly lucrative area of business for the criminals involved, as in one single cultivation alone; over 800 plants were discovered with a yield value in the region of £365,000.

Plants under the heat

Considering it only takes three months to grow the plants to their full capacity, literally millions of pounds are being made. This money is not used to develop our schools, improve our health or social services it is diverted back into all aspects of serious crime that causes misery to our society. Police intend to ensure that the criminals are detected, brought to justice and their criminal assets seized through Proceeds of Crime.

Help us weed out these gangsters and stop their evil trade. Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 – it’s easy, it’s anonymous and it’s up to you.