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NEIGHBOURS AMAZED AT £100,000 CANNABIS FACTORY

21-01-2008

Residents of a leafy Birmingham suburb have been telling of their astonishment at the discovery of a cannabis factory in their midst. An ordinary terraced house in Bournville, close to the Cadbury factory, was hosting a production line of a very different kind – weed with a value of £100,000.

West Midlands Police raided the property on Friday after getting a tip-off from the landlord. He only discovered the crime after turning up to demand the rent he was owed by his tenants, who – he then realised - had “done a runner”.

When the cops arrived, they found dozens of cannabis plants all over the house which, crucially, had been stripped of their valuable leaves – which can now be sold on the streets.

According to a police officer, their value is estimated at £100,000.

A neighbour said, “In retrospect, we should have guessed something was going on.

“On one occasion we mentioned to the landlord that our bedroom felt like a sauna, and we could hear what sounded like the hum of an industrial heater from the house next door.

“When we complained, the problem disappeared and we thought no more of it.

“The two men who lived there didn’t cause any trouble, and kept themselves to themselves, so we thought no more of it.

“Looking back on it now, they were obviously stimulating the growth of the plants. I dread to think what the landlord’s electricity bill will be like.”

Another neighbour commented, “I’m surprised they didn’t use a factory lock-up on an industrial estate.

“They took quite a big risk when you think about it, moving into a busy residential area like this.”

Two men, thought to be of Vietnamese origin and in their 30s, lived in the house. Their current whereabouts are unknown.