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| Police mount cannabis farm raids | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A major crackdown against suspected indoor cannabis farms and the criminal gangs who run them is under way. | |
| Nineteen police forces across England and Wales are carrying out raids over the next two weeks on addresses where they suspect cannabis is being grown. | Nineteen police forces across England and Wales are carrying out raids over the next two weeks on addresses where they suspect cannabis is being grown. |
| The gangs can make £30,000 in three months from a farm of just 200 plants and regard the ventures as relatively low risk but highly lucrative. | The gangs can make £30,000 in three months from a farm of just 200 plants and regard the ventures as relatively low risk but highly lucrative. |
| In January, the government decided to keep cannabis as a Class C drug. | In January, the government decided to keep cannabis as a Class C drug. |
| But on Monday Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "Those who use and sell cannabis will face tough penalties - up to 14 years for cultivation and dealing." | |
| Officers are searching a suspected cannabis farm at a house in Dagenham, east London. | |
| A lot of people who grow the cannabis are illegal immigrants Det Insp Neil Hutchison | |
| Called to the property following reports of intruders trying to break in, Det Insp Neil Hutchison said there were about 100 plants. | |
| The drug's classification had not affected officers' determination to tackle cannabis cultivation, he added. | |
| And they were shutting about two farms every day in London alone. | |
| The proceeds are used to invest in other crimes, Det Insp Hutchison said, and illegal immigrants are sometimes trafficked illegally to the UK in order to grow the cannabis. | |
| Skunk danger | |
| The farms have started to appear in quiet residential streets, with figures showing that the amount of cannabis grown in the UK has risen from 10%, 10 years ago, to 60% now. | |
| TELLTALE SIGNS Huge electricity bills for halogen lightingPungent smellGardening tools left outsideWindows covered all the time | |
| In the UK, the type of drug which is mainly grown is known as skunk, a strong variant of the drug which is potentially harmful. | In the UK, the type of drug which is mainly grown is known as skunk, a strong variant of the drug which is potentially harmful. |
| The gangs who run these farms often steal electricity using wiring set-ups which can carry a risk of causing fires. | The gangs who run these farms often steal electricity using wiring set-ups which can carry a risk of causing fires. |
| Police want to raise awareness on the issue so that the public keep an eye out for the "skunk factories". | Police want to raise awareness on the issue so that the public keep an eye out for the "skunk factories". |
| As well heavy usage of electricity to power the halogen lighting rigs used in cultivation, other signs of a possible factory are windows that are covered all the time, gardening equipment left outside or a pungent smell coming from the building. | As well heavy usage of electricity to power the halogen lighting rigs used in cultivation, other signs of a possible factory are windows that are covered all the time, gardening equipment left outside or a pungent smell coming from the building. |
| Police are already using thermal imaging cameras to spot the factories, which can be up to 10 times hotter than a normal house because of the heat from the lights. | |