Police seize £500k of cannabis in series of raids around Northern Ireland - arrests as homes in counties Londonderry, Antrim, Armagh and Down rushed by force
Police have seized cannabis with a street value of £500,000 in a series of five raids across Northern Ireland.
Detectives rushed homes in counties Londonderry, Antrim, Armagh and Down today (13th), arresting five men in connection with cultivating the class B illegal drug.
A member of the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch, Detective Inspector Kelly, said the force had “dismantled” cannabis factories that had been “expertly set up” in homes in Templepatrick, Coleraine, Tandragee and Lurgan.
A fifth property in Newry was also raided, with its occupant eventually arrested in Portadown.
The drugs production operations, said DI Kelly, were part of “a conveyor belt supply of drugs being produced” with regular cannabis harvests across the properties that “would likely be sold on to other criminal gangs”.
Said the officer: “Today, as a result of ongoing enquiries into an organised criminal gangs activities and with the assistance of a number of departments, we had a co-ordinated day of action.
We have located and dismantled four cannabis cultivations. Each location was expertly set up containing rooms full of plants at various stages of growth.
"The drugs recovered have a potential street value of approximately £500,000. Four vehicles have also been seized by detectives.
“Organised crime gangs fund their criminality and lifestyle at the expense of others. Damage is caused to properties. Vulnerable people caught up in drug misuse suffer and it creates a pressure on families and the health service.
“I’m grateful to local people and communities for their continued support, and I’m keen to reiterate and appeal for anyone with information on this incident or drug supply in general to contact us on 101.”
The searches were carried out with the support of the PSNI’s Tactical Support Group, stated a police spokesman.
The five men arrested are aged 33, 34, 38, 41 and 43, though so far no further details about them have been released. All remain in custody at this time.
The PSNI reinforced that reports can also be made using their online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport
Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.