Police seized drugs valued at £330,000 after a cannabis factory lit up “like a lighthouse” thanks to high-tech cameras on-board our helicopter.
Our eye in the sky was over Hillfields, Coventry, on the lookout for a car which failed to stop when thermal imaging cameras detected a bright heat source coming from a disused shop.
Such anomalies can indicate the presence of a cannabis factory as the plants require lots of heat and light to grow.
Information was passed to the St Michael’s city centre team and on Friday (28 August) the suspicions were confirmed when a warrant the property – at the junction of Harnall Lane East and Jesmond Road – uncovered a large drugs farm.
A total of 337 cannabis plants were seized from the property along with an extensive hydroponics system used to water the crop and electrical equipment.
PC Antony Coy from the city centre team said: “It was a professional set up. Offenders were stealing mains electricity to power the cannabis farm – and had even tarmacked the pavement which they’d dug up to wire directly into the street supply.
“The building had a reinforced steel door which we forced open and there was also an escape hatch in the bathroom leading to an adjacent flat. Two machetes were also recovered from the site.
“This is a big recovery for us and a significant blow to the organised criminals who’ve invested a lot of time and money into setting up this drugs factory.
“Our helicopter and many of our drones are equipped with state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras and this particular set up stood out like a lighthouse! Anyone involved in the illegal supply of drugs runs the risk of being caught out by our eyes in the sky.”
The shop and flat were empty at the time of the raids; enquiries continue.