Eight men have been jailed for their roles in a massive cannabis-growing operation uncovered after a series of drugs busts in North Wales. When police raided a disused commercial premises on Bangor High Street, Gwynedd, it lifted the lid on a UK-wide conspiracy involving more than 100 cannabis farms.
In total, cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to £21m were seized. Most of the cannabis farms were being “gardened” by Albanian foreign nationals who claimed they were trafficked into the UK illegally due to debts they owed.
The investigation began in January 2023 when Bangor residents reported suspicious activity at a long-abandoned store on the High Street. Several men had been seen entering and exiting the premises, once regarded as the ‘Harrods of North Wales’. Warrants were executed on January 30, which led to the seizure of cannabis plants worth around £1.2m.
North Wales Police officers were unable to fully search the building as it was deemed too unsafe due to extensive modifications with cables and wiring. A utility company later confirmed the building’s power source had been illegally abstracted from high street mains cabling.
In the months that followed, more searches were carried out at other empty properties on Bangor High Street, leading to the recovery of a further £800,000 worth of cannabis plants.
When officers reviewed CCTV footage, they discovered five men working on the high street using a liveried van with the registered company name “Elev8”. The men wore high visibility clothing and used signs to close roads in broad daylight as if they were conducting legitimate utility work.
Recognising the suspected scale of the enterprise, North Wales Police called in detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU). This led to the launch of Operation Spark, which saw Elev8 and its staff placed under surveillance. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now – here’s how to sign up
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https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/true-scale-massive-100-farm-31157758
