A SENIOR detective says officers will 'rip up' cannabis farms across Worcestershire, often when they are at their peak to inflict maximum harm on alleged drug dealers.
The comments come after West Mercia Police raided and dismantled three large cannabis farms across the county this year.
Since the start of this year three large, industrial-sized grows have been destroyed in Hanbury, Droitwich High Street and Tenbury Wells, the latest successful warrant executed on Tuesday.
The first warrant happened on February 7 in a large metal farm building on The Saltway in Hanbury, near Droitwich as officers arrested two men aged 22 and 24 and seized 500 cannabis plants.
The Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Team and other branches of West Mercia Police, including Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Task Force have worked together on these warrants.
One of the most brazen grows had been set up under the noses of the public in a derelict sweet shop in Droitwich High Street. The grow contained more than 600 plants.
The raid on Wednesday, June 5 lead to two arrests and two men, Beldar Meta, 20, and Erjon Boshku, 39, have now been charged with the production of cannabis.
This was followed on Tuesday by a warrant in Tenbury Wells where a grow containing almost 1,000 plants was raided. Again, two men were arrested and charged with the production of cannabis.
Saimir Shabani, 40, and Arsidi Agolli, 23, both of no fixed abode, have been charged with producing a controlled drug of class B (cannabis) following a drugs raid at a warehouse in Tenbury Wells, appearing before magistrates in Kidderminster on Wednesday.
DI Dave Knight of Proactive CID said: "We take great satisfaction from the fact that organised crime groups (OCGs) spend tens of thousands of pounds setting up these cannabis factories and we go in and rip the whole thing out.
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"We accept they will pop up again but, if we keep hitting them in the pocket, they will eventually realise West Mercia Police is not an area worth investing in. It sends a message that this is not an area where drug production can thrive."
DI Knight, based at Worcester Police Station in Castle Street, said Worcestershire had an advantage in that it's close-knit communities would report suspicious activity which was acted on by police.
He said he hoped this positive relationship between police and the public would continue so more effective drugs warrants could be issued and cannabis grows put out of business.
DI Knight added: "The community may sometimes wonder why it takes some time between information being passed on and police taking action. Sometimes that is to ensure we get the cannabis grow at a prime point where the OCG has put in maximum investment in that grow and also so we can catch anybody in the premises involved in the grow itself. We will hut drug dealers where it hurts."
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