Three men are currently in custody after a cannabis factory was located at a premises in Swindon during the early hours of this morning.
At approximately 2.30am, officers were called to a report of a suspected burglary in progress in Omdurman Street, Gorse Hill.
Residents reported hearing windows being smashed at the premises.
Officers arrived on scene and located a cannabis factory inside the address, made up of in excess of 20 plants. A man was also located inside, but has so far refused to give any details to police and remains unknown at this time. He was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and taken to Gablecross custody.
At the same time, a vehicle was seen to be attempting to make off from the premises. The vehicle was stopped and searches were conducted inside the car where approximately £8,500 in cash was located.
A man in his 40s from Swindon was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and taken to Gablecross custody.
A second vehicle then attended the scene – officers followed the vehicle and it was stopped in Barnum Court. It was searched and baseball bats and mobile phones were found inside. The driver, a man in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon. A search of an address in Barnum Court was then conducted where drugs paraphernalia and approximately £1,200 cash was seized.
Insp Steve Love said: “Thanks to the vigilance of members of the public who initially reported concerns regarding activity at the Omdurman Street address, officers have been able to arrest three individuals and dismantle a cannabis factory. The full extent of the factory is not currently known, however, there were plants growing across two rooms of the address.
“Our enquiries are ongoing today and we’d urge anyone with information to contact us on 101 and quote crime reference number 54200074315.”
