Britain: Criminals use abandoned shops and offices as “Drug Farms”
Police chiefs in Britain have revealed that abandoned offices and shops in British town centers are being used as drug farms, according to The Guardian.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has warned that criminal gangs are targeting empty buildings to grow cannabis on an industrial scale.
Police chiefs told the BBC that the decline in activity on the country’s main streets has led to the emergence of cannabis farms in the most unexpected places. They noted that organized crime groups have set up large-scale farms in vacant pubs, office buildings, cafes, nightclubs, and bingo halls across the country.
In an interview with the BBC, Police Chief Richard Lewis, head of the NPCC for drug enforcement, stated that abandoned commercial properties are attracting criminals. He said, “Large stores have closed, making larger-scale cannabis production footprints available.”
The newspaper also reported that criminals in Newport, South Wales, used several floors of an abandoned store on the main shopping street to grow more than 3,000 cannabis plants.
The city experienced the highest rates of vacant properties in the UK following the COVID-19 pandemic, but the emptying of town centers due to increased working from home is a nationwide problem.
With fewer people going to pubs and nightclubs and the rise in remote work, the bright lights needed for indoor cannabis cultivation go unnoticed, especially in the evening.
Last year, the police increased their raids on suspected cannabis growers across the country, arresting nearly 1,000 people and issuing 1,000 warrants.
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The National Drug Enforcement Committee has urged the public to look for signs that drug gangs have taken over buildings in their city and to pass on any intelligence to the police.
Signs that empty shops and offices may be used for cannabis cultivation include taped windows and bright lights on in the early morning hours.
They may also have tents outside, as the properties can become so hot that people cannot stay in them overnight.
