Drug production booming in UK’s empty high streets
Police officials report that organized crime groups have been targeting vacant shops and pubs in town centers to cultivate cannabis on a large scale.
Over the past year, numerous properties have been raided, ranging from an old toy shop in Ayr, Scotland, to a former bank in Welshpool, Powys.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, empty restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, bingo halls, and office buildings have all been repurposed for growing cannabis.
In Newport, South Wales, criminals converted several floors of a former department store on the main shopping street into a large-scale cannabis cultivation site, producing over 3,000 plants with an estimated street value of two million pounds.
Estate agents, electricians, and tradespeople have been warned that they could face prosecution if they assist gangs in converting buildings into cannabis farms. Chief Constable Richard Lewis, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s national lead on drugs, noted that the decline of many high streets has created opportunities for criminals.
“Commercial properties are appealing to organized crime groups for various reasons,” he explained. “With large-scale shops closing, the available space for large-scale cannabis production increases.”
Lewis pointed out that the lack of evening foot traffic helps cannabis farms remain undetected. “There’s less visibility in the evening, so neighbors in residential areas are less likely to notice unusual activities,” he said.
In the past year, police operations against cannabis farms have intensified, with around 1,000 warrants issued and nearly 1,000 arrests made.
Gwent Police has successfully conducted several raids in Newport city center, including one at the former Wildings department store, which closed in 2019. Sgt Dan Wise mentioned that gangs have increasingly targeted vacant retail sites in the city, which had one of the UK’s highest vacancy rates following the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recent Welsh Retail Consortium analysis revealed that over one in six shops in Wales is empty. “We’re dealing with organized crime groups with the capacity to operate on a much larger scale,” Sgt Wise added. Earlier this year, police collaborated with Newport City Council to establish a database of buildings that might be vulnerable to gang exploitation.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, forces are being proactive in shutting down the cannabis farms and that does not just mean going after those who grow cannabis.
“We’ve also prosecuted landlords of these places who at best may be turning a blind eye to what’s happening,” said Mr Lewis.
“We’ve seen prosecutions of estate agents, electricians, and people who have facilitated this trade.
“Of course, most of our tradespeople in the UK do a great job but there are those small minority people who do undertake these types of activities – and we do prosecute them.”
