Officers seize cannabis farm worth more than £1million in Oldham

Officers in Oldham uncovered a cannabis farm believed to be worth more than £1million this morning (Wednesday 18 October 2023).

A warrant was conducted at an address on Collett Street, in Derker, where the discovery of hundreds of 772 cannabis plants was made. 

The latest seizure brings the total street value of cannabis farms seized by the Oldham team in the past four weeks to over £4million.

Two men aged in their 30s were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis.

The team conducted a second warrant on Thursday 19 October at an address on Quail Street in Oldham.

One male was detained inside the house on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis. The approximate value of the seizure was £100,000.

Chief Superintendent Phil Hutchinson from GMP’s Oldham District, said: “Our work in the past month alone is testament to how well our officers are doing at rooting out this issue.

“This is not a victimless crime – there is a web of organised criminality behind these recent seizures.

“Thanks to the community we were able to conduct this warrant today, which led to a huge discovery."

Neighbourhood Sergeant Lucy Leicester added: “We will continue to act on your intelligence and the information members of the public share with us is vital in our teams taking actions such as this.

“Would you know if a property was being used to cultivate drugs? A powerful distinctive sweet, sickly aroma; frequent visitors throughout the day and night; blacked out windows; chinks of bright light throughout the night; birds gathering on the roof, particularly in cold weather; noise from fans; large amounts of rubbish including compost bags; electricity metre being tampered with.

“Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more suspicious.

“Information from the public plays an incredibly important role in these warrants time and time again – please let us know if you have any concerns about drug activity in your local area.”

If a crime is in progress, always dial 999. Alternatively, you can report it online using the Live Chat button or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.