Cannabis plants worth £546k seized and 13 arrested following warrants

Thirteen people have been arrested and more than 1,200 cannabis plants have been seized and destroyed following 12 warrants across the county.

Officers entered properties in Brentwood, Chelmsford, Chigwell, Canvey Island, Harwich, Grays, Great Wakering, Shoebury, Southend and Westcliff in a coordinated series of strikes throughout February.

A number of the properties being used were rented houses that had been converted to into cannabis grows, causing extensive damage.

The 1,249 plants seized were worth an estimated £546,000. All have been taken to a secure location and destroyed.

The work was part of a national operation which has resulted in 242 arrests and the seizure of plants worth £48m.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cadd of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said:

“The trade in illegal drugs is inextricably linked to violence, exploitation and other forms of criminality.

“This is not people growing a few plants for their own use, these are substantial grows tended by professionals with the sole aim of making money for organised criminal gangs.

“By seizing plants, dismantling grows and arresting the individuals involved, we are preventing drugs from reaching the streets and limiting the ability of the gangs to operate.

“The profits from these operations would have funded more criminal activity so by shutting them down we are making the streets safer.

“As many of the grows were operating in residential areas, I would ask the public to continue reporting any suspicious activity.

“If there’s a property near you where people are coming and going at unconventional times, the windows are covered to block out natural light and there are unusual smells or the constant sound of fans, tell us by reporting online or calling 101.”