South Yorkshire: Drugs busts in one town uncover almost £10 million worth of cannabis in just two weeks

Two police raids, within two weeks of each other, have found close to £10m worth of cannabis plants in Rotherham.

The raids unearthed multi-million pound cannabis grows on Sycamore Road and Howard Street, both in commercial properties.

On Tuesday (January 23), South Yorkshire Police uncovered 5,208 plants in a disused unit on Sycamore Road, estimated to be worth around £5.2m following reports of suspicious energy use.

Antonio Selishta, aged 29, Admir Nezaj, 41, Zenel Batolhoghi, 41, and Isuf Rexha, 61, have been charged with being concerned in the cultivation of cannabis as a result of the discovery.

They have all been remanded in custody.

No arrests have been made yet in connection with the raid on Howard Street earlier this month (January 10), which led to the seizure of 4,375 plants worth around £4.3m.

At the time, that was the largest cannabis bust in Rotherham in over a decade - a record which lasted less than two weeks.

Chief Inspector Sharron Wood, from the Rotherham command team, said earlier this month: "Cannabis production is invariably linked to wider, organised criminality and can also create issues and dangers for people living in our communities.

"I encourage the public to look out for the signs a property is being used being used to grow drugs.

"If you have concerns about a property near you, please report it to us."