Police get high to find cannabis factories

Local & National

PSNI helicopter is used to smoke out home-grown drugs

Thursday, June 14, 2007

By Deborah McAleese

Ulster's increasing drug trade in home-grown cannabis is being foiled from the sky by police.

The PSNI's hi-tech helicopter is being successfully used to spot cannabis factories, according to Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland, reducing production of the drug and preventing it from hitting the streets.

The chief has also warned that more cannabis plants are being grown by unscrupulous drug dealers in the province because of difficulties importing the drug into Northern Ireland.

He has revealed that, over the past 12 months, three cannabis factories have been discovered in the greater Belfast area by the helicopter's heat-seeking device.

He told how the helicopter was recently being used over the Lisburn area to assist in a missing person search when the device picked up a cannabis factory.

"If the helicopter is up and about it can very quickly locate large heat areas, like a cannabis factory which uses heat lamps. If people want to grow cannabis, then they should beware," Mr McCausland told members of Belfast DPPthis week.

According to Mr McCausland, cannabis causes the biggest concern for police, followed by amphetamines and cocaine.

He said the value of cannabis is higher in Northern Ireland than in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh because of difficulties smuggling it in, thanks to major police operations.

Late last year, the PSNI made its largest seizure of cannabis to date. Three-and-a-half tons of the drug worth £18m were found in the back of a lorry-load of wooden doors in a warehouse on the Quarry Heights Industrial Estate in Newtownards.

"We have made significant inroads into this particular activity and have also been successful in disrupting cannabis factories growing plants. We will continue to focus on this area. We also ask the community that, if you see people growing strange plants in their home, let us know."

The number of people arrested for drug offences in Ulster continues to rise, indicating a rise in drug use. In Belfast alone, drug offence arrests leapt by 50% over the past year from 331 to 506. The number of people charged has risen by 24% from 304 to 378.

"There has been an increase in drug use, particularly use in a social setting. It is something we are going to have to watch. If we have detected more drugs, then use is increasing, particularly cannabis," he said.

Mr McCausland said the increase can be attributed to its declassification to class C.

A trend across England, Scotland and Wales has seen people turn their homes into cannabis factories, where cannabis is grown in almost every room in the house. It is believed to be catching on in Northern Ireland.

Head of the PSNI's Crime Operations, Assistant Chief Constable Peter Sheridan, has also warned of the rise of cocaine.

"Cannabis is rising in terms of home-grown cannabis but cocaine is also on the rise," he said.

There are serious medical concerns over cannabis use. Research suggests its use can trigger symptoms of psychosis which may continue even after the drug use is stopped.