THOUSANDS of cannabis plants worth in excess of £2 million have been seized in Liversedge in a significant police operation.
Enquiries remain ongoing today by the Batley and Spen Neighbourhood Policing Team after officers uncovered the large-scale haul at a former commercial premises on Hare Park Lane.
NPT officers executed a warrant there this morning (Wednesday, September 13) and found a possible 4,000 cannabis plants in two large warehouses.
Five men were arrested at the site on suspicion possession with intent to supply drugs offences.
They remain in custody for questioning today.
Work has been ongoing at the premises to recover the plants, secure evidence and conduct forensic examinations.
It is believed the plants are worth in excess of £2.2 million.
Inspector Vanessa Briggs, of Kirklees District Police, said: “This has clearly been a very substantial seizure of cannabis and we are continuing our investigations today.
“Cannabis production and dealing generates cash which goes straight to organised crime, helping only fuel more criminal activity which brings misery to our communities.
“I want to thank residents across the Batley and Spen area who keep contacting us with information about both suspected drugs production and crime in our communities generally.
“Every piece of information is reviewed, assessed and where possible developed for investigation.”
Anyone who has information about drugs crime in Kirklees can report it to Kirklees Police on 101 or online at westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat
Information can also always be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
Cannabis busts with more than £1 million worth of plants in West Yorkshire are rare.
The most recent one in Bradford that the T&A has information about took place in December 2022.
West Yorkshire Police raided a premises where they suspected a large cannabis grow, and four days after their discovery, they had recovered over £1 million of cannabis plants.
Officers in Bradford raided a property in the city centre in the lead-up to Christmas and uncovered over £1 million worth of plants.
That incident was preceded by a major cannabis farm bust in Halifax in September when police seized almost 3,000 cannabis plants worth approximately £2 million.
The plants were recovered from two large cannabis farms in Halifax.
Three arrests were made in May 2022 after police discovered a large-scale cannabis factory, estimated to have a yearly turnover of around £2million, in Leeds.
Officers gained access to houses on a street in Woodhouse, Leeds, where they found the factory and made the arrests.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article