Cannabis worth £50k seized at former Cheltenham restaurant

The cannabis was found during a police raid

Drugs with a street value of at least £50,000 have been seized from the basement of a former restaurant.

Nearly 100 plants were removed from the property in Albion Street, Cheltenham, after the landlord raised concerns and the letting agency found the plants growing at the address.It was one of over 15 warrants and raids carried out in Gloucestershire as part of a major drugs operation across the West.

A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the case and an investigation is ongoing.

The latest regional drugs operation has targeted organised crime groups (OCGs) involved in cannabis cultivation and police said that it has led to 67 arrests, £6.8 million worth of cannabis and weapons, including a 9mm pistol, being seized from locations across the South West.

The region's five police forces, supported by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and working with the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and independent charity Crimestoppers, executed 58 warrants and searches at commercial cannabis grows.

The raids were part of the region's Operation Scorpion and Operation Millie, a national initiative.

'Exploitation of vulnerable people'

Temporary Det Supt Claire Nutland, of Gloucestershire Police, said landlords and letting agencies should remain vigilant: "In this instance, by making checks on the property they uncovered a large cannabis grow and we were able to step in, seize the drugs and ensure we disrupted an organised crime group.

"Cannabis is a key source of illicit income for these groups, who are often involved in other serious and organised crime, including Class A drug importation and supply, exploitation of vulnerable people through modern slavery, and serious violence as they compete for territory."

Officers are also raising awareness of the dangers of growing cannabis, including fire risks, unlawful abstraction of electricity, fumes and water damage.

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire's PCC Chris Nelson and other PCCs in the region are writing to landlords across the South West to highlight the issue.

Anyone with information about a potential cannabis cultivation or drug dealing is being asked to contact police or Crimestoppers.