Thousands of plants in Wolverhampton drug factory raid

Row after row of thousands of plants, hidden chambers and high-powered growing equipment – this was the scene today in one of the biggest cannabis factories ever to be found in Wolverhampton.

These exclusive pictures show the sights that greeted police officers when they smashed down the doors of a disused factory unit in Bilston.

About 2,500 plants worth up to £1 million were discovered in seven rooms of the unit.

Senior officers believe the haul is one of the largest ever recovered in Wolverhampton.

Forensic teams were this afternoon searching for evidence in a bid to identify those responsible for the illegal operation, and were assessing Vietnamese writing on a fridge at the unit.

Officers discovered that cannabis was being grown in seven rooms inside the secret factory.

Bedding was also recovered, indicating people – known as gardeners or growers – had been staying with the plants.

Also found during yesterday's raid was extensive equipment used for growing cannabis, including high-intensity lighting and fans.

Inspector Peter Haywood, of Bilston police, said some of the rooms at the unit were empty, indicating those responsible could have been planning on expanding their operation.

"This is the biggest cannabis find in my 23 years with West Midlands Police," he said.

"There is a minefield of intelligence here and we're hoping the forensic evidence will help us track down the gardeners that have been here growing the drug."

Hardeep Varaich, aged 30, manager of the nearby Auto Trust Centre, said today: "I saw a police riot van going in this morning and wondered what it was.

"We work from 8.30am until 9pm at night and have never noticed anything strange.

"We have lots of customers coming in for a car wash but they have never noticed anything either. I am surprised."

A worker at nearby GCB Engineering, who did not want to be named, said: "The police found another cannabis factory in the same building about two or three years ago.

"I'm surprised another one has been found on the exact same site. "It is shocking when you find out it's going on on your doorstep."

The number of cannabis factories have exploded across the region in recent years. Often, people are trafficked to England illegally from countries such as Vietnam to specifically grow the drug.

Officers have found families barricaded up in homes for up to 15 weeks at a time to grow the drug.

Earlier this week, illegal immigrant Cong Le was jailed for two years at Wolverhampton Crown Court for growing cannabis in Dudley.

The 24-year-old, who grew the drug in a house in Churchill Street, falsely claimed he was aged 15 to try and avoid prosecution.

He arrived in this country from his native Vietnam on the back of a lorry after his family remortgaged their rice farm and paid 20,000 euros to traffickers.

The West Midlands force has a team of police specialists which targets factories across the region. The squad has cleared drugs from more than 100 properties.

Bilston councillor Steve Simkins said: "This is an excellent piece of work and I commend the officers on acting on the information that has been provided to them by members of the community."