Burglary tip-off unearths £1.38m cannabis 'factory'

A drugs ‘factory’ with 19 rooms full of cannabis plants with a street value of £1.38m was discovered on an industrial estate where a similar operation was uncovered three years ago.  

Police say they shut down the latest cannabis factory at Warboys airfield industrial estate following a tip off to police of a suspected burglary. 

"A member of the public called at around 10.30pm on Sunday after suspecting a burglary was taking place,” said a police spokesman. 

“Officers arrived as two vehicles made off from the scene. No arrests have been made at this time but investigations are on-going.” 

One of the warehouses had been broken into and police discovered 19 rooms full of cannabis across two floors.  

There were 1,647 plants of varying sizes with a street value of up to £1.38 million. 

Detective Sergeant Emma Garwood said: “With thanks to the information provided by a member of the public, a substantial amount of illegal drugs have been stopped from finding their way to the streets. 

“Drug trafficking is a source of revenue for organised crime groups, many of whom are involved in other forms of serious crime including modern slavery. 

“We would encourage people to continue to look out for signs of illegal cannabis factories including blacked out windows of caravans, disused buildings and warehouses and people coming and going at various times of the day.” 

In March 2019 two men who had been caught growing cannabis worth an estimated £1.8 million on the same industrial estate were jailed.