Police find £400k haul of cannabis in shipping containers on Moreton industrial estate

Nov 19 2008 by Matt Hurst, Wallasey News

Cannabis find

A HUGE haul of cannabis plants, with an estimated value of £400,000, has been discovered by police in shipping containers on Tarran Industrial Estate, Moreton.

The sophisticated operation, incorporating watering, lighting and ventilation systems, would have produced in excess of 1,000 plants.

Alongside the shipping containers was a nursery, and police discovered cannabis at varying stages of production, from seedlings to full plants ready for market.

In total, four shipping containers packed with cannabis were discovered by police, who were acting on information garnered from the community.

Inspector Brian Griffiths told the News that while such a find may be unusual for Wirral, other forces have reported discovering similar operations in shipping containers around the country.

The most frequent location for cannabis production on this scale has been unoccupied houses, with every room filled with plants and an elaborate system of watering, lighting and ventilation set up throughout the property, often costing thousands of pounds to establish.

Inspector Griffiths said: “This was a very sophisticated operation with automated watering, lighting and ventilation systems that will have cost a great deal to set up and I am delighted to stop the production of the drug.

“We will continue to target those who deal in drugs and associated crime and we are committed to bringing them to justice.

“We rely heavily on the information provided to us by members of the local community and I would like to reassure people who live and work in our community that we act on all information received.

“With the continued support of the public, we can continue to rid the streets of drug dealing.”

Merseyside Police is currently investigating and no arrests have yet been made.

l Anyone with information regarding the plants is asked to call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111