Crimestoppers
Fearless
Criminal gangs are growing cannabis in your area
Keep your neighbourhood safe from the violence and intimidation of organised crime gangs.
Crimestoppers is appealing to the public to speak up to our charity, 100% anonymously, about any property being used as a grow house or farm to cultivate cannabis.
Organised crime gangs are renting properties in both urban and rural parts of England and Wales and setting up cannabis farms, which often bring with them serious violence, victims of modern slavery, and increased risks of fatal building fires and explosions.
Tell us what you know anonymously on 0800 555 111, or go to our online form:
Criminals secure properties through letting agents, offering to pay for months of use in advance, usually in cash. Cannabis farms have been found in residential homes, vacant commercial properties (including those on high streets), industrial units and warehouses, derelict buildings including boarded-up pubs, disused factories and mills, as well as rural cottages and barns.
Wherever they are set up and operate, they increase the risk of violence affecting the neighbourhood. With rival gangs and opportunistic criminals regularly breaking into grow houses and farms to steal crops and equipment, violence can often break out in the middle of the day or night. These exchanges can include guns, and innocent people can be caught in the crossfire.
Some people working in the ‘farms’ are victims of human trafficking and are forced to work against their will. They may be tied to debt bondage, where they are tricked into working for little or no money to repay a debt. An employer or controller will use different tactics to trap the victim in an endless cycle of debt that can never be repaid and may even be passed on to their families.
Victims of modern slavery are vulnerable adults being exploited for financial gain and are often hesitant to reach out for help out of fear of repercussions and reprisals from organised crime gangs.
Cannabis farms pose a serious threat to the neighbourhood in which they are set up, there is a high risk of fire breaking out from within the property as electrical meters are often bypassed and overloaded, and criminals are using "fake" labourers to dig up roads and illegally tap into the electricity supply.
They can complete their work late at night in unbranded, high-visibility clothing so as to avoid suspicion. Tampering with electricity is extremely dangerous, not just for the perpetrator but also for those living in the local community, and can cause electrocution or fire, which could cause life-changing injuries or, at worst, be fatal.
Learn the signs to spot and tell us what you know...
- A powerful distinctive sweet, sickly aroma
- Frequent visitors throughout the day and night
- Blacked out windows, or vents sealed/blocked to prevent the heat and smell of cannabis from inside the property escaping
- Chinks of bright light throughout the night
- Birds gathering on the roof, particularly in cold weather
- In winter, snow melting unusually quickly on the roof
- High levels of condensation on windows
- Noise from fans
- Large amounts of rubbish, including compost bags
- Electricity meter being tampered with/altered and new cabling, sometimes leading to street lighting.
Do you have information? Call us anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit our online form:
Landlords, property management firms, and maintenance personnel should be aware of the signs of cannabis cultivation. Rented residential and commercial properties are usually modified by criminal gangs with barricaded windows and doors, unsafe electricity wiring, and mould and water damage from hydroponics and irrigation systems, all of which cause significant damage to properties.
Beware of tenants who might offer to pay their rent in cash several months in advance to discourage letting agents and landlords from calling around or visiting the property. When repairs need to be made to the property, criminal gangs often bar entry or limit the movement of maintenance workers in or around the property boundaries, while trying to hide their illegal cannabis cultivation.
Learn the signs to spot and tell us what you know...
- Poor or no references from a previous letting agent
- Offering to pay several months in advance
- Preference to pay rent in cash without reasonable cause
- Wanting to keep the utility bills in a landlord’s name
- Asking for complete privacy, requesting no periodic inspections or preventing the inspection of the property even when given reasonable notice
- Changing locks to keep landlords and agents away from a property.
When you spot the warning signs for cannabis cultivation, protect yourself and those around you by speaking up and telling us what you know.
As an independent charity, we keep you 100% anonymous - so you’ll never have to worry about anyone finding out you’ve spoken to us.
Call us anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use our online form:
17 May 2023
