A man has been charged and remanded in custody following the discovery of a cannabis farm in Northumberland.

Intelligence gathered over suspicious activity at an address on Oak Street in West Mickley, near Prudhoe, led to officers executing a warrant on Monday (July 1) morning.

Police forced entry to the property where 346 plants at various stages of growth with a potential street value in excess of £60,000 were found inside.

A man – aged 45 – was arrested at the scene on suspicion of cannabis production.

 

He was subsequently charged and appeared at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning (June 2).

Sergeant Samantha Maughan, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a substantial sized farm with the potential of making tens of thousands of pounds in criminal cash, which we believe may have been further invested in organised crime.

“Thanks to the hard work of intelligence officers and neighbourhood teams, we have been able to stop this operation in its tracks.”

The farm has since been dismantled and the drugs seized.

Sgt Maughan added: “We would continue to ask the public to act as our eyes and ears to this type of criminality, and we would especially ask landlords to be vigilant with the rental and use of their properties.

“Nobody wants illicit activity such as this on their doorstep and if you suspect someone to be involved in drugs supply in your area, please report it to us and we will act on your information.”

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Northumbria Police by sending a private message on social media, visiting the live chat on the force website or go to the ‘Report’ section.

For those unable to contact police this way, call 101.

In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always call 999.