ABOUT CANNABIS FACTORIES

2009.04.04

Although England was importing Cannabis for its use 10 years back, but charity Drugscope believes that today almost 90% of Cannabis used is grown inside the country itself.

Everyday, there are many new Cannabis factories being set-up. A moderate size Cannabis factory is an average house with windows covered, heavy electricity bills and new wiring systems. Activity is usually observed at odd times. When one gets a chance to peep into a Cannabis factory, one finds a small in-door “farm” where Cannabis seedlings are flourishing without soil in lamp-lit trays all over the place. There are automatic water and nutrient delivery systems. The air feels rather warm and damp inside. Seedlings grow and flower in these trays. This is the ‘hydroponic Cannabis’. The whole crop ripens in just 3months.

An average factory can easily produce 20-30 ounces of Cannabis in one crop cycle. These apparently small scale Cannabis factories are growing the highest quality Cannabis in most parts of England and all over the world. Interestingly, the equipment needed to set up such a farm indoors is not much and it is easily available at shops with other gardening stuff.

See here for a detailed view of a Cannabis factory.

In BBC news, on 10^th march the Gwent police warned the landlords that they were responsible for their properties including the costs if utilities were tapped into. Advice from the police included information about how to keep a close eye for spotting manufacture of drugs like Cannabis and escasty (amphetamine sulphate). Clues given by police about Cannabis factory are:

• Heavy use of de-odorizes and air fresheners to mask the drug production smell
• Lights kept on all the time and windows covered
• Sudden changes in electricity bills
• Rewiring done
• Place is more damp than neighborhood

Gwent police told that number of uncovered Cannabis factories rose from 5 to 151 in past 5 years. Figures show rises everywhere since 2004; from 174 to 672 in west midlands, zero to 53 in North Wales, and zero to 7 in Northern Constabulary. The Metropolitan Police had hit a peak of 648 in 2005-06. From April 2007-08, Greater Manchester police has seized 62518 Cannabis plants worth of £9.4m, the largest in GMP history for any year till today. Last month 3,000 plants were uncovered at Trafford, this is considered to be the largest individual seizure.

In Cambridgeshire, two houses were raided and 800 Cannabis plants of £500,000 street value were recovered and destroyed last month. These were all skunk cannabis as told by drugs intelligence officer Gavin Guy. He added that if one plant of Cannabis is allowed to fruit, it produces 2 ounces of drug which is enough supply for 16 people with £20-worth of Cannabis (News here).  

The police believes that majority of factories belongs to organized crime gangs who want to harvest large amounts for huge profits.

The police operations are now using tip offs and heat seeking equipments to uncover in-door Cannabis factories. Thermogram images can easily high-light a possible Cannabis factory. This image is the courtesy of police.

It is important to note here that the maximum penalty for possession of Cannabis in England is 5 years, and for Cannabis supply, dealing and production is 14 years.