News

Man arrested in Aintree cannabis farm discovery

Polive have arrested a man and recovered around 30 plants at a cannabis farm in Aintree.

Up to 30 cannabis plants, bags of cropped cannabis, a large quantity of cash and equipment for weighing and packaging drugs following the execution of a drugs warrant at a property on Rhodesia Road on Wednesday.

The cannabis farm would have an estimated annual yield of around £120,000. The plants were recovered alongside growing equipment and the electricity was found to have been illegally bypassed.

The scene has been secured to enable officers to recover the cannabis and forensically examine the scene.

A 26-year-old man from Aintree has been arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis, possession with intent to supply cannabis, money laundering and abstracting electricity. He has been taken to a police station to be interviewed.

Local Inspector Maria Hoogendyk said: “Every single cannabis farm we seize and every arrest we make marks another step in our efforts to disrupt the activities of criminals growing cannabis in Merseyside.

“Cannabis cultivation by criminal gangs can cause serious harm in our communities and we know criminal groups involved in the cultivation of cannabis are usually involved in other serious organised crime.

“The growing of cannabis also threatens the safety of neighbouring properties because cannabis farms are a serious fire risk.

“Electricity and water are never a good combination, and fires have been caused by the crude systems put in place by the people who set up these farms.

“Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making money, from turning houses and flats into potential death traps.

“Nobody wants to live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is using a property for this purpose, please tell us so we can take positive action and find those responsible for setting them up.”

Anyone with any information can call police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.