13 ways to spot a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood
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Drug gangs are exploiting the decline of the high street by taking over empty shops and turning them into farms, police have warned. Hundreds of thousands of cannabis plants are seized every year by police in the UK - but would you know if you lived next door to a cannabis farm?.
![[In the year 2022/2023 alone 515,570 cannabis plants were seized in England and Wales]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/27/18/Medical_Marijuana_Kentucky_37370.jpg)
In the year 2022/23, 15,570 cannabis plants were seized in England and Wales. This number was even higher the year before, when 785,955 were discovered by police. Yorkshire and the Humber region was the hotspot for cannabis plant seizures in 2022/23, with 145,870 found.
![[Cannabis plants seized as part of Operation Mille]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/16/01H4JMD16WM55ZAF5FEGNVRQHG.jpg)
Earlier this year, police warned that drug gangs were exploiting the decline of the high street by taking over empty shops and turning them into farms. The warning came after officers found more than 3,000 plants in a vacant department store in Newport, South Wales.
But how would you know if you walked by a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood? Here are some things to look out for according to West Yorkshire Police:. Strong odours: Cannabis crops take around three months to grow, odours can be potent in the final weeks.
Covered up windows: Curtains always drawn up or windows covered/boarded up from the inside. Excessive security measures: Excessive security measures such as extra locks or grilles on windows. Lots of condensation: Cannabis plants need a greenhouse like environment to grow. Look out for condensation on the windows, especially in the summer months.
