Watch: Police seize £300,000 of drugs and arrest four people in series of raids
Four people have been arrested after police seized around £300,000 worth of drugs in a series of raids in Doncaster.
South Yorkshire Police’s neighbourhood officers in Doncaster worked with Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams to shut down multiple cannabis factories in the centre of the city.
Officers were sent to properties in Wheatley, Hyde Park and Cantley areas of Doncaster on Tuesday (Jan 6), where they found “significant and elaborate” cannabis set-ups in all three properties.
The force said hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs were seized and destroyed.
Four people were arrested on suspicion of drug offences, with one woman bailed pending further enquiries and three men set to be dealt with by Immigration Enforcement for immigration offences.
Sergeant Steve Roberts, of Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Cannabis farms like the ones we found earlier this week in Doncaster pose a huge risk to the safety of innocent people in our local communities.
"In order to generate enough light and warmth to grow cannabis, the electricity meters are often bypassed in these properties, which poses a significant fire risk to neighbouring properties.
"Following our intervention, we have since made these properties safe to ensure there is no longer a risk to neighbours.
"Large scale cannabis cultivations have long been known to be linked to organised crime groups responsible for gang violence, exploitation and spreading fear in our communities.
"By dismantling these set-ups, we disrupt these criminal networks' revenue streams and tackle wider issues such as illegal migration, violent crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
"We will continue in our efforts to disrupt the drugs supply chain and create safer neighbourhoods - but we need your help.
"We invest significant resources to tear apart these operations and identify those responsible and we know that we are stronger when we work collaboratively with our communities.
"We would urge the public to report any concerns to us and look out for the signs a property is being used to grow drugs.”