Darlington cannabis farm worth £1.7m found in disused office building

Two men have been charged after a £1.7 million cannabis farm was found in a disused office building.

Durham Police said more than 2,000 plants were found in 14 rooms, spread over three floors of the disused building in Darlington.

Officers raided the building in Haughton Road on Wednesday 29 March and also found several thousand pounds' worth of cultivation and growing equipment.

The electricity meters were also found to be bypassed, with power being abstracted illegally from a local substation.

Two men, aged 32 and 34, were arrested in connection with the discovery and taken into police custody.

They have since been charged with cultivation of cannabis and were remanded in custody to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 30 March.

The building has now been made safe, and the plants dismantled and destroyed.

Inspector Dean Haythornthwaite, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “This is not simply ‘just a bit of cannabis’ – organised and extensive grows such as this as are usually linked to serious and violent organised crime groups.

“They are also directly linked to the exploitation of vulnerable people and are major fire hazards too, putting neighbouring properties and those who live in them in serious danger.

“If you have concerns about potential drug dealing in your community, or have seen people acting suspiciously, then please report it to us. We will always act on intelligence to remove drugs off our streets and make our communities safer – as this case has shown.”

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