Officers raid £400,000 city centre cannabis farm

Cannabis plants worth an estimated £400,000 have been seized after officers raided a derelict building in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police found 400 mature cannabis plants growing in the basement of a property on St James Street, near Sheffield Cathedral, on 27 January, as well as evidence a person had been living there.

The force said the plants had been seized and subsequently destroyed.

Sgt Simon Pickering of the Sheffield City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team said while some may see growing cannabis as "low-level offending" drugs farms could pose "a very real and immediate danger" to people living nearby and result in vulnerable people being exploited.

"There is often a misconception around cannabis setups and a tendency to overlook the dangers they pose to our communities," he said.

"The production of cannabis often leads to the exploitation of vulnerable people, or the facilitation of illegal work.

"The profits made from its sale also contribute to funding the activity of organised crime groups operating in South Yorkshire, which is why it's essential that we disrupt this offending with the help of our communities.

"You might see it as low-level offending, but the reality is there is a very real and immediate danger being posed to people who live nearby as electricity mains are often bypassed to hide what's going on inside, creating a significant fire risk."

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