£2.5m worth of cannabis seized by West Midlands Police in November
An estimated £2.5 million worth of cannabis was seized in November by West Midlands Police, taking the total for the year to nearly £20m.
And official figures show that annual drug seizures across England and Wales have fallen dramatically to the lowest number in almost a decade.
There were 167,059 seizures by police and Border Force staff across the two countries in 2014/2015, down from 194,346 in 2013/14. Class B drugs accounted for most of the seizures in 2014/15 – 132,253 in total, down 17 per cent on the previous year. As recently as Tuesday, more than 280 cannabis plants were discovered at a house in Smethwick, with police estimating the haul to be worth thousands pounds.
Officers were called to the house in Cheshire Road and discovered that four rooms inside the home had been converted into a cannabis factory. Two weeks ago around £300,00 worth of cannabis was found during a raid in Katherine Road, Smethwick, and more than 300 plants were seized from a cannabis factory in a house in Hallam Street, near Sandwell Hospital.
Darren Cooper, leader of Sandwell Council, said: "A seven-figure sum, purely for November alone, just shows the great work police are doing behind the scenes to build up cases against these drug dealers.
"Even with all the cuts police have faced, they are working extremely well together in a team effort and really making a difference in taking these drugs off our streets. The technology available to the teams is remarkable and they are becoming more efficient in every raid that takes place."
According to Home Office figures, drug offences also fell by 14 per cent in 2014/15 against the previous year.
Policing Minister Mike Penning said: "Our strategy is clear – we must prevent drug use in our communities, help those who are dependent to recover and ensure law enforcement agencies stop the supply of drugs and the organised crime associated with it."
