More than 400 cannabis plants have been discovered in a Cathays house after a raid by local police.
The factory was broken into in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday February 6, following months of police investigations and the gathering of evidence.
It is currently unconfirmed whether the house, which is situated off Mackintosh Place, was home to students.
Cardiff University student and Special Constable Sam Tappenden was part of the team of officers who carried out the raid.
He explained to gair rhydd how the factory operated, describing the property as “a massive greenhouse”.
He said: “The bathtub was filled with fertilizer which was being pumped all around the house.
“In each room we found in excess of 100 plants along with lighting equipment and fans.”
This is the ninth drug raid that has taken place in the last six months in Cathays alone.
Tappenden revealed that most of the cannabis factories are rented houses which are abandoned by their residents who return only to oversee operations.
Each house can generate up to £250,000 a year through the sale of the drugs.
Tappenden was keen to stress the efforts of the local police to put a stop to criminal behaviour amongst students and other local citizens.
He said: “These raids highlight the message that the police would like to convey: any form of illegal drugs will simply not be tolerated in Cardiff.
“The police have a constant stream of information from a number of sources, and over the coming months we intend to execute more raids and are very confident in uprooting this socially disruptive and illegal business.”
In October, issue 849 of gair rhydd exposed the high levels of drug related crime operating in the student areas of Cathays and Roath.
It was revealed that addicts will often break into student houses and then sell the stolen goods in order to fund their habits.
With this in mind, PC Bob Keohane, Student Liaison Officer, is urging students to be attentive and vigilant regarding any drug activity which may be going on around them.
He explained that houses being used to grow cannabis often have tin foil covering the windows, air vents coming out of the attics and large compost piles in gardens.
Other signs of drug-related operations include lighting and heating equipment being carried into a house and a lack of activity with residents only visiting once a day.
Keohane said of last week’s raid: “This is just one discovery; it does not by any means paint the whole picture. There are probably another hundred factories out there which we have yet to find.”
He added: “If students have any suspicions that illegal activity may be happening in close proximity to them we urge them to contact the police immediately.”
Jo Plummer, Education and Welfare Officer, expressed her views on the dangers of cannabis use.
She commented: “Many students think that the drug is harmless but actually, despite its reclassification to a class C drug in 2004, there is increasing evidence of a link between cannabis and mental health problems, depression and short term memory loss.
“Cannabis can also be detrimental to your degree as heavy use can make it difficult to concentrate and leave you feeling constantly tired and unmotivated.”
Students who have any information or suspicions regarding drug related activity are advised to contact the South Wales Police on 02920 222111 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
1. Billy Bong Thornton
I’m writing because this is just another case of cannabis getting an unfair hearing. There are plenty of worse substances, including legal ones, but of course, whilst costing society billions of pounds each year, they don’t warrant the same kind of stigma, because they make many law abiding people a lot of money.
It would be great if just for once, the media focused on harm reduction in society rather just spouting consistently unfounded drivel, subject to a message that they have been indoctrinated with from childhood. Educate people who’re at risk of the harmful effects of such drugs, tell them why they are at risk and what precautions they should take if they’re going to do it anyway because let’s face it, they already are.
Ah, another refreshing piece of journalism, lumping the criminal behaviour of heroin, cocaine, crack and crystal methamphetamine addicts (yes, these are the physically addictive drugs) in with the hippy smokers. When will you ignorant people realise that people don’t rob, rape or murder for a few joints?
Students should be vigilant? The only thing that most of them will be vigilant for is the next dealer they can find for their smoke.
In the 4 years I’ve been in Cardiff, I’ve met very few people who haven’t dabbled in cannabis use, all of who are respectable individuals. I know a number of regular smokers who’re excelling in their studies. Of course there are cases of mental illness and risks of lung damage. There’s a risk to everything in life. In moderation and being in possession of the facts and knowing the necessary precautions, it can be used safely.
It’s also funny how those wonderful binge drinkers that go and throw up all over the streets, piss in people’s doorways and start fights at the union on a weekly basis, can sit on their tall horsies and go on all day about how “drugs are bad” and they will screw up your life. Subject to substance, but in this case cannabis, my arguments against statements made in your article are empirically based.
2. Adam Troth
Agree completely Billy, a very good response indeed.
If everyone who went out on St. Mary Street of a weekend got stoned instead of drunk, the police would have far less hassle. How many people do you know who get stoned and beat the stuffing out of their wife/girlfriend?
Of course there are health risks associated with irreponsible or excessive cannabis use, as with any other drug. None of us are trying to cover this up. However, the statistics speak for themselves. 125,000 people are killed each year in Britain by tobacco, 30,000 by alcohol, and a grand total of zero deaths directly linked to cannabis!
The only reason the government doesn’t legalise weed is that it would be very hard for them to tax as everyone would probably grow it on their windowsills.