£1m drug haul in police raids

Drugs with a street value of more than £1 million have been seized after police swooped on two cannabis factories.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 cannabis plants were seized after the discovery of a major factory in Shrewsbury. Police also discovered an underground factory at Oldwood Common near Tenbury Wells which contained about 200 plants.

Three men have been arrested in connection with the Shrewsbury operation, with five people arrested following the raid in Tenbury Wells.

Today police were still guarding the large building at the back of Budgen Motors in Featherbed Lane, Harlescott, following yesterday morning's raid on the site, which officers said was being used to grow the Class B drug on a huge scale.

The drugs found in Shrewsbury are believed to have a street value in excess of £1 million, while those in Oldbury Common are thought to be worth about £100,000.

A spokesman for Budgen Motors said the building was not part of the Budgen operation. Local workers said it had been a low key police operation with only a few police cars involved

A member of staff at Budgen said: "There has only been a couple of police cars here. We knew nothing about what was going on at all."

It follows last Friday's Tenbury Wells operation involving officers from West Mercia, Gwent and Gloucestershire, which led to the seizure of more than 200 cannabis plants that were being grown in buried storage containers covered with soil, wooden beams and boards.

As part of the operation four men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to produce cannabis, a class B drug. Police say those arrested were a 32-year-old man from Herefordshire, a 58-year-old man from Gwent, a 35-year-old man from Gloucester and a 22-year-old man from Gloucester. All have been bailed until September.

A 29-year-old woman from Gloucester was also arrested in Tenbury Wells on suspicion of possession of a class A drug. She was bailed until August.