Police operation takes drugs worth £17m off South Yorkshire streets after Rotherham raids
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Operation Grow saw 70 raids at properties in Rotherham last year, with cannabis plants worth an estimated £17.846 million seized.
South Yorkshire Police say the ongoing operation is the district’s ‘dedicated approach to target and disrupt the production and supply of drugs’ to local communities, and say that the profits of drugs cultivations are often used for funding organised crime.
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Hide AdIn total, they seized 17,846 cannabis plants in 2024 under the operation in Rotherham, with each estimated to be worth £1,000.


That haul included drugs seized in a raid on a commercial premises on Sycamore Road, Eastwood, which contained 5,000 plants with a street value of over £5 million.
Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector John Crapper said: “I am very proud of the results achieved by the teams involved in Op Grow, with over 40 people arrested in 2024.
“We all want to make Rotherham a better, safer place to live and this operation forms part of our ongoing work to achieve this.”
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Hide AdInsp John CrapperCannabis is not a harmless drug – it funds organised crime and results in the exploitation of vulnerable people
The largest cannabis factory dismantled during Op Grow this year was found in a commercial premises on Sycamore Road, Eastwood. Within the grow, over 5,000 plants were found – with a street value of over £5 million.
“We still have work to do; cannabis is not a harmless drug – it funds organised crime and results in the exploitation of vulnerable people. It is vital that people are aware of the connection between drugs and violent crime.
He added officers would carry on gathering further intelligence and working with partners to create safer communities. He said they would urge the public to report any concerns to them, and their information was vital in helping tackle these the problem.
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Hide AdPolice say some of the signs that a property is being used for growing cannabis include:
> Heavy smell of cannabis
> Windows blacked out
> Excessive condensation on windows
> Blocked letterbox
> Heavy use of anti-odour devices
> Visitors at unusual hours; only staying for a short period of time
> Signs of a property not being lived in – bins not being put out, garden not maintained etc.
Anyone with information can contact police via 101, or report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.