Neighbors' complaints helped the police shut down a drug farm in a residential building (7 photos + 1 video)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
15 September 2024
British police have arrested a man who turned a semi-detached house in Alconbury Weston, Cambridgeshire, into an illegal cannabis farm. Neighbours had long complained about a strong smell coming from the “bad house”, and they were absolutely right. 
The complaints from neighbours had been coming in for a long time. When police burst into the house where 34-year-old Nam Hong Tran lived, they were stunned by what they saw - almost all the upstairs rooms were occupied by 238 cannabis plants. Their total value is estimated at almost £200,000.
The smell coming from the tiny semi-detached house was so strong that even police officers were shocked, with one saying: "It stinks in here!" The footage shows the homeowner opening the door after police tried to force it open, and then officers finding the drug farm.
Almost every room was powered by solar panels, and makeshift curtains hung over the stairs and windows blocked natural light. Other rooms were littered with fertilizer and garbage bags. The farm was equipped with a sophisticated electrical system to provide light to the plants.
On Friday, August 23, Tran was jailed for a year at Cambridge Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to producing cannabis. The judge said: "I understand how you became involved in criminal activity. However, growing cannabis in the way you did is an offence, it is a controlled drug in this country, because it causes harm.
Thanks to information from local people, this illegal drug will no longer end up on the streets. The drug trade is a source of income for organised crime groups, many of whom are involved in other types of serious crime and modern slavery. We encourage people to be aware of signs of illegal cannabis operations, including darkened windows, unusual odors, and people coming and going at different times of day."
In another recent case, a California police officer was placed on administrative leave after an illegal marijuana grow was discovered in his five-bedroom home.
Samson Liu, 38, of Antioch, California, was suspended from duty on April 30 after a large-scale drug lab was found on his property. The Oakland Police Department confirmed that Liu is under investigation, but did not provide further details.
Police seized more than 36 kilograms of marijuana, worth approximately $1 million, from Liu's large home. Law enforcement confiscated the entire amount of drugs found on the property of an active police officer.
This incident is of grave concern as police officers are expected to be role models for the community. The investigation is ongoing and Liu may face serious consequences for his involvement in illegal drug production.
