Massive cannabis haul found at town shop

More than 2,000 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of hundreds of thousands of pounds have been found at a former travel agent's office in the Black Country.

West Midlands Police described the haul as one of the biggest in the area and said the the drugs were being produced on an almost industrial scale.

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Detectives say a "sophisticated" cannabis factory was discovered inside the former Holiday Hypermarket building in Stourbridge and believe the plants could have been growing there for months.

Officers today said the seizure was another victory in the war on drugs. Det Insp Will O'Connor said police had acted after a tip-off from a member of the public.

Witnesses reported seeing around 15 officers in white suits loading plants from the building into a lorry after the factory was discovered.

Mr O'Connor, from Halesowen CID, said: "Inside this large disused shop was one of the most professional cannabis set-ups we have ever found, on an almost industrial scale.

"Around 2,000 plants were seized, which is hugely impactive on our fight to tackle cannabis production in the region.nextpage