BBC show exposes explosion of cannabis farms in Stoke-on-Trent

-Credit: (Image: BBC)
-Credit: (Image: BBC)


Stoke-on-Trent's proliferation of derelict buildings are being taken over by criminal gangs. The city has ignominy of being one the UK's worst cities for cannabis farms.

From the shell of former shops and takeaways like Woolworths in Longton and Empire Bedroom and Dining Furnishers in Tunstall, to disused factories and terrace houses, criminals are exploiting deserted properties to cultivate vast quantities of marijuana using the free heating and lighting left behind.

Amid the crumbling facades smeared with graffiti, narcotics businesses are flourishing. Market conditions such as high business rates and the shift towards online commerce have turned once-thriving shopping areas into attractive locations for illicit drug production.

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Stoke-on-Trent has seen its fair share of busts that have put the wrong kind of pot in the Potteries. And the issue will be brought back into the spotlight again this week as BBC show Catching Britain's Criminals will focus on Staffordshire Police's efforts to rumble cannabis farms in Stoke-on-Trent and the rest of the county.

It will see ex-SAS leader Billy Billingham raid multiple secret cannabis labs with the help of officers.

A stark example is the old Woolworths in Longton which was utilised by Thoan Hoang to grow 2,647 plants with a street value of around £2 million. The entire crop was seized from the vacant building and the 37-year-old received a 16-month sentence.

Another 300 plants were discovered in an abandoned building in Longton town centre in May, while over 2,000 were seized in nearby Hanley last October.

Tunstall has emerged as one of the most popular high streets for growers in recent years, with multiple busts over the last 12 months, including at the former Empire Bedroom and Dining Furnishers, on Tunstall High Street where officers found two 'grow rooms' with 124 cannabis plants in each.

Erjon Dushaj, aged 31, and Zamir Geca, were jailed for 12 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for the Tunstall grow.

Thoan Hoang grew a cannabis factory in an old Woolworths store -Credit:Staffordshire Police
Thoan Hoang grew a cannabis factory in an old Woolworths store -Credit:Staffordshire Police

In fact, StokeonTrentLive reports almost weekly on Staffordshire Police's efforts to find the growers and the court proceedings that inevitably follow.

Only this week a cannabis farm was rumbled in the loft and bedrooms of a house in Fenton, while 683 plants were discovered growing across four rooms in the former Badsha curry house in Swan Square, Burslem, last week.

Richard Lewis, from the National Police Chiefs' Council, observed: "Commercial properties are attractive to organised crime groups for a host of reasons. Large-scale shops have closed so the footprint to produce cannabis on a larger scale becomes available."

Indeed, the statistics are grim as over 20,000 businesses have disappeared from urban centres since 2010; 10,000 vanished in 2021 alone due to the crippling impact of the pandemic, and last year saw another 5,000 closures, equating to around 14 shops daily biting the dust.

In comparison, the UK cannabis market is estimated to be worth approximately £2.6 billion annually. Last year, police confiscated 52 million plants.

Links have also been established between large-scale marijuana production and other serious crimes such as human trafficking. In their pursuit of drug-related offences, officers seized 20 firearms, £636,000 in cash and 26 kilos of cocaine.

Cannabis farms have been found in former branches of Sports Direct, NatWest, Clintons Cards and MandCo, as well as old bingo halls, cafes and a toy shop. Last year, police raided an old bakery in Elland, West Yorkshire, where they discovered 400 cannabis plants.

Sergeant Richard Lloyd, of Staffordshire Police, said: "We will continue to act on community intelligence to make our communities safer."

He urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicions, pointing out indicators such as taped-up windows, tents outside, and bright lights at odd hours. Those involved in the production of the Class B drug could face up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

SAS: Catching the Criminals will air on BB1 on September 19 at 10.45am.

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