'Substantial' cannabis farm found in converted attic in Stanley

Stanley neighbourhood policing team have uncovered a cannabis farm, hidden away in the loft of a house.

The rooms and loft space of a residential home had been converted, with electrical supply tampered with, structural amendments made and cannabis plants at various stages of growth.

The team had previously assisted with dismantling another farm, after it was discovered in Consett, in the old Trades Nightclub.

Addressing why the Police were spending time investigating cannabis farms, the Stanley policing team wrote on Facebook: "Just a harmless plant? Why don’t you go after heroin dealers? Why don’t you catch proper criminals? Those are just some of the things we frequently hear when tackling cannabis farms and the reality is – tackling cannabis farms and those responsible does exactly that.

"The majority of cannabis farms we deal with are set up by organised crime groups who use the proceeds as a revenue source to fund the supply of Heroin and Cocaine along with financing other criminal activity.

"We often find persons present that have been illegally trafficked into the country and are being used as slaves. Frequently we find that cannabis farms have links to crime gangs on a national and international scale.

"Tackling grows like this is just one of the ways we can impact organised crime and the impacts they have on communities."