Hundreds of cannabis plants and thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs seized in operations

Hundreds of cannabis plants and thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs have been seized in a series of police operations over the past week.

Officers recovered drugs from a total of six addresses in Luton, Millbrook and Bedford.

Today (Friday) officers executed a warrant in Marlborough Road, Bedford and found it was being used as a cannabis factory. One person was arrested at the property.

This was one of a number of successes in the last week, with officers discovering a further four suspected cannabis factories across the county.

These have been cleared and closed down at addresses in Ashcroft Road, Paddock Close, and Felmersham Road in Luton and Station Road in Millbrook.

Three people have so far been arrested in relation to the discoveries and have been charged with a variety of offences, including Cultivation of Cannabis, Possession with Intent to Supply and Possession of a Bladed Article.

When officers attended the Millbrook address, one of the suspects tried to escape onto an unstable roof. Fire crews and negotiators had to be called in to rescue him using an aerial platform to safely detain and convey him to custody.

In separate activity tackling drug related criminality, officers discovered a large quantity of class A drugs at an address in Brickly Road, Luton, while in Midland Road, Bedford, a man was arrested after an incident in which a machete was spotted by CCTV operators. When he was searched, cocaine and heroin were also discovered.

Detective Chief Superintendent Duncan Young of Bedfordshire Police said: “These operations were carried out by teams from across our force, from Community Officers to specialists from our Drugs Focus desk.

“It evidences that we are relentlessly targeting drugs supply and trafficking. We know that it is at the root of crime both in Bedfordshire and further afield. Drugs remain the main commodity of choice for organised criminals and a priority for our activity.

“We rely on the public for information to help us build a picture of offending and appeal to anyone who knows of any suspicious activity happening in their area to come forward.”