UKP7M IN CANNABIS SEIZED BY POLICE

Police have closed down 71 cannabis factories and seized plants worth
up to UKP7 million in profits to criminal gangs.

The record haul of 7,000 plants was seized by Leicestershire police
in the past year, it emerged today.

The figures came to light in an end-of-year report which showed the
problem was increasing in the county, despite overall falls in other crimes.

An officer, who has worked in the drug enforcement field for a number
of years, said: "People have always grown a bit of cannabis in their
lofts for their own use, but what we're seeing now is on a completely
different scale. In some cases, it's on an industrial scale and
linked with organised crime."

There have been reports of a number of drugs factories raided in the last year.

In January, a UKP1 million cannabis operation was found in an old
factory, in Barwell.

Other reported major raids took place in the West End of Leicester,
Spinney Hill, Evington and Burbage Common, near Hinckley.

The emergence of cannabis factories has also helped fuel an increase
in people being dealt with for possessing the drug.

In the past year, the force recorded 2,559 cannabis offences,
compared with 2,127 in 2006/07.

Leicestershire's assistant chief constable Chris Eyre said drug crime
was one of the few areas which has increased in the past year,
despite overall crime falling by five per cent.

Mr Eyre said: "We are not complacent, however, and are determined to
drive the number of such offences down further over the coming weeks
and months."

Many cannabis factories have been found in rented properties.

A city letting agent urged landlords to check their buildings at
least every two or three months. He said: "We perform regular checks,
not specifically for whether a property is being used to grow
cannabis. You have to do that to ensure it's not being misused in any way.

"Some landlords stay away from their properties for up to a year and
are just happy that the rent is being paid.

"If they then discover their place has been used to grow cannabis
they only have themselves to blame when they have a repair bill of
thousands of pounds."

The Association of Chief Police Officers estimates that each plant
seized can generate a yield of UKP1,000 of cannabis.

Last month, the Mercury revealed police are using hi-tech thermal
imaging cameras to track down drug factories. The devices can detect
the heat generated by lighting used to promote the plants' growth.

Tell-tale signs of factories include windows permanently covered,
visits at unusual times of day, no signs of permanent residence or a
vent protruding through the roof or a rear window.