Hundreds of cannabis plants found in Droitwich raid

Almost 500 cannabis plants were found in the unit

Hundreds of cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £410,000 have been found in an industrial unit.

A team of about 25 West Mercia Police officers raided the building near Droitwich on Wednesday.

They arrested two Albanian men, aged 22 and 24, on suspicion of production of a Class B drug.

Sgt Shaun Blackshaw said it was "really sophisticated and what I would describe as a professional setup" and could have been operating since October.

Officers broke into the building on The Saltway in Hanbury using chainsaws and battering rams and found about 490 plants along with heating units and insulation.

Police found overhead wiring, ultraviolet lighting and heaters

Sgt Blackshaw said a second floor had been put in and a series of rooms created to process the drugs.

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He said there was evidence that a grow had recently been harvested.

Nearly 500 plants were discovered at the site along with large-scale electrical, lighting and cultivation systems, the force said

West Mercia Police said the raid was prompted by concerns about drugs and suspicious activity in the area.

The two men arrested were later both charged with the production of cannabis and with abstracting electricity without authority and were due to appear before magistrates on Thursday, the force added.