Police seize cannabis plants worth over £200k during raid in Bedford's Ashburnham Road

Cannabis plants worth more than £200,000 were seized during a police raid in Ashburnham Road, Bedford.

In the early hours of yesterday morning (Tuesday), officers found a large cannabis factory containing around 270 cannabis plants – with a street value of around £224,000.

A man in his 30s from Bedford has subsequently been charged with cannabis cultivation.

Detective Sergeant Tracey Joyce – from Operation Costello which targets organised crime – said: “Growing and selling cannabis is not only illegal, but can be a means of growing and funding different criminal enterprises.

“Operation Costello is committed to taking down these criminal networks by cutting them down from the root.

“Illegal drug activity not only has a detrimental effect on local communities, but also on vulnerable individuals within society, who may be coerced, forced or exploited into carrying out illegal activities on behalf of organised crime gangs.“

"This warrant was intelligence-led and would not have been a success had it not been for the public who come forward with information, so that we can take the correct course of action and disrupt the criminal gangs which cause so much misery.”