West Midlands Police seize £22m cannabis in 2015 raids

In December almost 500 cannabis plants were discovered in just two raids in Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

It comes as official figures show 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 the last financial year, down from 194,346 the year before.

Class B drugs accounted for most of the seizures last year – 132,253 in total, down 17 per cent on the previous year.

Yesterday, West Midlands Police cannabis team tweeted: "During 2015 we seized & destroyed #cannabis worth an estimated £22 million off the streets of the West Midlands."

Last month around 200 cannabis plants were seized from an address in Waddens Brook Lane, Wednesfield, after a tip-off from a member of the public.

And more than 280 plants were discovered at a house in Cheshire Road, Smethwick, where four rooms had been converted into a drug-making factory. Both hauls were worth several thousands of pounds.

Two weeks earlier 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.

The West Midlands Police cannabis disposal team recently tweeted they had seized 520 high-powered light bulbs from drug factories in the county in November. They estimated the cost of running the bulbs over the average three-month period it takes to grow cannabis plants would be £52,300, the cost of a new top-of-the-range Audi.

A significant number of cannabis seizures were made in Sandwell. Last month council leader Darren Cooper said it showed 'the great work' police were doing behind the scenes to build up cases against drug dealers.

He said: "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."

According to Home Office figures, drug offences also fell by 14 per cent in the last financial year against the previous year.

Policing Minister Mike Penning said drugs seizures by Border Force officials had gone up by 71 per cent since 2011-12, stopping dangerous drugs from entering the UK and harming communities.

He said: "Seizures are just one part of a complex picture in our fight against drugs. 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."

"There are promising signs our approach is working – with a downward trend in drug use over the last decade and more people recovering from dependency now than in 2009/10."