Police discover huge £2.6m 200kg cannabis grow in Yorkshire warehouse

West Yorkshire Police uncovered the large-scale operation at a warehouse on Walkergate, in Pontefract, thanks to information from the community. The force executed a warrant on Tuesday morning (Apr 25) to discover the huge production operation.

Inside, officers found nearly 1,000 live plants and multiple drying rooms containing more than 200kg of cropped cannabis. The initial estimate is that the warehouse building contained £2,628,771 worth of drugs.

Two men, aged 23 and 25, have been arrested on suspicion of production of a Class B drug, abstracting electricity and entering the UK without leave. They are currently in custody.

Temporary Superintendent Phil Jackson, of Wakefield District, said: “This is the largest single seizure of drugs by the Wakefield District Neighbourhood Impact Team since their introduction in October 2021.

“We know issues around drug production, supply and use has been a long-term concern in the district. I hope this action shows that we will act on community intelligence and respond quickly to protect our communities from the harm that illegal drugs cause. Ultimately, the drugs that we have seized today will now not make it on to the streets of Pontefract or elsewhere.”

The team was introduced as part of Project ADDER, which was given additional Home Office funding for an “intensive whole-system approach led by local police and drug treatment and recovery services to tackling drug misuse and drug-related crime”.

Anyone with information about drug offences or concerns about suspicious activity at a premises in their community can report it to the police by calling 101.