Police raids take £7m worth of cannabis off the streets of the South West
An operation targeting organised crime groups involved in cannabis cultivation has seized more than 13,500 plants worth almost £7 million.
In raids across the south west, 69 arrests have been made and weapons, including a 9mm pistol, recovered.
ITV West Country gained special access to police teams across the region who are tackling a huge industry of illegal cannabis production. In some places the scale of growing has almost doubled in just the past year.
In total, Operation Scorpion executed 60 warrants in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall and Dorset.
Chief Superintendent Ben Moseley, regional lead for the latest phase of the drugs operation, said: “People need to understand that cannabis cultivation is not a harmless or low-level offence.
"We know it is a key source of illicit income for organised crime groups often involved in other serious and organised crime, including class A drug importation and supply, exploitation of vulnerable people through modern slavery, and serious violence as they compete for territory."
One raid in the Easton area of Bristol uncovered more than 2,500 cannabis plants, worth an estimated £1.25m, just days before they would have been harvested and shipped around the UK.
Officers also found signs of modern day slavery with a makeshift kitchen, bedroom and bathroom in cramped, stifling conditions with no natural light or air.
One undercover officer said: "It's completely shocking to think people are living in these conditions, more than likely against their will. I would say it's fairly common and they go under the radar completely undiscovered."
County raids uncovered:
Devon and Cornwall
Raid on a former nightclub in Torquay recovered 416 cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to £349,440.
Dorset
Nine arrests were made at an industrial address where more than 2,000 plants and a 9mm pistol were seized.
Gloucestershire
Nearly 100 cannabis worth around £50,000 plants discovered in a basement under an unoccupied restaurant in Cheltenham.
Wiltshire
Around 190 plants found in a property in Melksham. One man charged with cannabis production.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Doughty, of Devon & Cornwall Police, said: "I'm always surprised at the lengths organised crime networks will go to to make profit out of vulnerable people in our communities.
"Evidence shows people will start by using cannabis and then they'll move on to Class A drugs and the vulnerability that causes them, their friends and family and the communities around them is untold and it creates a lot of problems."