Police have stated that drug gangs are taking advantage of the high street’s deterioration by occupying vacant shopfronts to cultivate cannabis illegally.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, vacant pubs, office buildings, cafes, and nightclubs in town centres are being targeted by the gangs for their operations.
Before being raided by Gwent Police, over 3,000 cannabis plants worth an estimated £2 million were grown in a former department shop in Newport, South Wales.
Chief Constable Richard Lewis, the NPCC national lead on drugs, said commercial properties provided an attractive option for criminals, as there is ‘lack of activity’ on high streets at night.
He warned that the crackdown is also coming for landlords, estate agents and tradespeople who ‘turn a blind eye.’
CC Lewis told the BBC: ‘Large-scale shops have closed down and therefore the footprint to produce cannabis on a larger scale becomes available,’ adding that the lack of activity in town centres at night was also a factor.
‘Neighbours in residential properties would notice things more readily.’
A £920,000 cannabis farm was discovered during a massive raid on an abandoned toy shop in Ayr, Scotland, in February.
Authorities have urged people to come forward if they see anything suspicious on their high street, such as taped-up windows, bright lights shining, or people camping outside, as it gets too hot to stay in the building.
In Newport, the council and the force have worked together to set up a database of buildings that might be vulnerable to use by gangs.
The police have also prosecuted landlords who ‘may be turning a blind eye, as well as estate agents, electricians, and other tradespeople’.
Lewis continued: ‘We’ve also prosecuted landlords of these places who at best may be turning a blind eye to what’s happening.
‘We’ve seen prosecutions of estate agents, electricians, and people who have facilitated this trade.
‘Of course, most of our tradespeople in the UK do a great job but there are those small minority people who do undertake these types of activities, and we do prosecute them.’
In June this year, a dramatic raid was carried out on a derelict sweet shop in Droitwich, northern Worcestershire where police discovered 600 cannabis plants, worth an estimated half a million.
In January, cannabis growing activities were found at the former County Times newspaper offices in Welshpool, Powys, and an old HSBC bank within a day of one another.
What our government should do is legalise it, and at least get the benefits from the business they would have created, as other countries have already done. Why is it we have to be the last to sign up for every new idea? We are no different from other people in other countries that have approved its use.
Countries that have legalised it reap billions each year. Also, crime rates would drop because there wouldn’t need to be any runners anymore, especially if like in places like Amsterdam it could be bought from shops or cafes. It would also boost medical improvements for people who use it for medical use and medicines like Morphine and Codeine would be used less. Let’s face it, man-made opioids are far more dangerous than cannabis.
Consider the additional income generated by legal stores, in addition to the police resources expended on detaining individuals for possessing tiny quantities for personal use.
They are not introducing anything new; rather, I am speaking about the legalisation of something that already exists.
In terms of contributing to mental health issues, alcohol is significantly more common than marijuana, and it kills hundreds of people every day. However, since drinking is socially acceptable while smoking marijuana is not, this is acceptable.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 