Police seize 300 cannabis plants from 'sophisticated' Rotherham drugs farm

Officers seized more than 300 cannabis plants in Rotherham last night during a raid at a "sophisticated drug farm".
The plants were seized in Rotherham,The plants were seized in Rotherham,
The plants were seized in Rotherham,

Police unearthed the crop, which has an estimated street value exceeding £300,000, at Clough Road in Eastwood after receiving "intelligence" from the community.

Since the start of this year the five-strong Rotherham central neighbourhood policing team has seized cannabis, crack cocaine and heroin, as well as contraband cigarettes, worth more than £1m.

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Sergeant Dave Baines said: “It’s always rewarding to break-up up a sophisticated drug set-up and on this occasion we must extend our thanks to the local community, which has assisted us in intelligence gathering.

“Without the public’s input we might have missed this opportunity, which highlights how important engagement is in the disruption of criminality.

“The force helicopter, officers in plain clothes and sniff tests are often used to help recover drugs but I cannot underestimate the value of information from members of the public who want to help.”

Sgt Baines and his colleagues form a problem solving team that deals primarily with tackling issues ranging from nuisance and anti-social behaviour to drug dealing and production.

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Last week the team recovered £500,000 worth of contraband cigarettes, to add to a £270,000 cannabis seizure in March, South Yorkshire Police said.

Sgt Baines added: “We’re continuing to disrupt criminality. Over 50 people have been arrested and 11 warrants executed this year and there will be no let-up in tackling the issues that are of priority to our community.”

“This latest set-up was not being tended to when we entered, so we are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and quote incident number 833 of May 21.