Police raid colossal cannabis farm with 200-300 plants in organised crime ‘crackdown’

A colossal cannabis farm packed with hundreds of plants has been raided as part of a Greater Manchester Police operation to bring down a local organised crime gang.

Officers seized 200-300 plants from an address on Parkville Road in Prestwich on Thursday (June 3) morning.

The search was conduced following an arrest the previous day – with a driver in Harpurhey found carrying a large quantity of cash, an extendable baton, and a kitchen knife.

So far, two arrests have been made.

A 24-year-old man has been taken into custody on suspicion of the production of cannabis.

A 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of Money Laundering, Possession of an Offensive Weapon and a Bladed Article.

Detective Inspector Paul Crompton of GMP’s Intelligence Development Team called the arrests an “an excellent result” in “GMP’s fight to tackle the scourge of organised crime in our city.”

He added: “Cannabis farms are well known [to] fund organised criminality, and the City of Manchester North Organised Crime Disruption Team, working in partnership with the Districts, will take every opportunity to disrupt their activities across the region.

“GMP often relies on intelligence supplied to them by members of the public. If you see anything suspicious, we encourage you to report it. You can contact Police via our LiveChat on our website www.gmp.police.uk or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

“If you say something, we can do something.”