£8.5m worth of cannabis seized in the North

Cannabis with a street value of almost £8.5m (€10.7m), and allegedly cultivated by Chinese people in the North, has been seized by police, it was revealed today.

Police said organised gangs from Britain moved into rented flats and houses - some near the coastline – to grow plants before selling the drugs throughout the UK.

But as part of a major operation which has been running for several months, officers have charged 45 people, all of them from South East Asia.

Detective Inspector Peter Moore, who is heading the inquiry, said today: “Organised crime gangs have turned their attention from mainland UK to Northern Ireland, presumably because they thought they wouldn’t get caught. They were wrong.”

Since late last year officers have recovered 14,500 cannabis plants worth £7.3m (€9.2m), as well as 113kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of £1.1m (€1.4m).

About £120,000 (€151,029) in cash and substantial amount of equipment used in the cultivation process were also recovered during searches of 55 properties. A total of 56 arrests were made.

Police said there would be more searches.

Mr Moore added: “We believe the cannabis is being cultivated here for distribution and sale outside Northern Ireland. Our investigations are continuing with a number of other agencies to determine the scale and extent of the network.

“Organised crime gangs are exploiting people from South East Asia in the cultivation process. Police believe those involved in this illegal activity are not ’local’ Chinese people but individuals from outside Northern Ireland.

“Police have met with representatives of the local Chinese community and they are as outraged as all other right-thinking members of our society. They should not be stigmatised or victimised because of the actions of outsiders.”

With the cultivation going on in accommodation with blacked out windows and full of electric fans and heaters, police also warned of potential public safety risks.

Mr Moore said: “There is a significant threat of fire with cannabis factories. A house full of electric fans and heaters, combined with water, is an obvious fire risk.

“People who run cannabis factories have been found to tamper with electricity supplies in a very amateurish fashion.

“Put all of these ingredients together and you have a recipe for disaster. You have a great potential for destruction of property, serious injury, even death."