POLICE busted several cannabis farms after homes and industrial units across Glasgow were raided as part of an operation that saw more than £1 million of drugs taken off the streets.
The National's sister paper The Glasgow Times joined officers from the serious and organised crime unit on Friday as they aimed to disrupt the supply of drugs throughout the country.
Armed with 11 warrants, plain-clothed and uniformed officers from Greater Glasgow, as well as Fife and Dumfries, raided properties all over the country, including seven in Glasgow and two in Paisley.
More than £1.2m of cannabis was seized in total, as well as £8000 worth of cocaine.
One briefing, led by Detective Inspector Alan Ferguson who co-ordinated the operation, was held in a hall at Baird Street police office at 7.30am.
Dozens of cops were briefed regarding the plan of action and split into smaller teams – each with a premise to raid.
Officers were informed of their specific locations and left in police vehicles. We joined the team heading to the Gorbals.
Officers filled two vans and made a quick stop at the leisure centre to catch up with each other, before turning into Moffat Street.
The cops, who were kitted out with overalls and helmets, used an electric saw to cut through a gold padlock on a business premise door before rushing in with torches.
The large and abandoned building, which had walls knocked down within, was mostly empty, with some cardboard boxes stacked at one side.
Officers scoured the rooms; however, no drugs were found, and no-one was inside.
This was a different scenario from the last time cops visited the unit in August last year when more than six hundred cannabis plants worth £120k were discovered.
At the time, Sergeant Gary Bone said the building had “the potential to be one of the largest cultivations operations I have seen”.
He added: "There were other growing rooms being prepared inside that would have significantly increased its capacity. This early discovery has seriously impacted the group’s ability to operate."
Following the search in the Gorbals, we headed to Rupert Street in Woodlands, where a cannabis cultivation had been found after a raid at a flat.
A man, aged 29, was arrested and taken into a cell van after being charged with alleged drug offences.
Elsewhere, on Maryhill Road, a large cultivation was found within a flat as well as associated equipment including fans.
Officers emptied the property and loaded evidence bags filled with plants into a van parked on the street.
The drugs were sent to a specialist unit to be tested and valued.
A man, aged 42, was also arrested and charged in connection with alleged drug offences.
Following the successful operation, DI Ferguson said: “The day of action was a culmination of months of planning by each of the pro-active teams.
“Over 100 officers took part in the raids on the day. I have no doubt that the seizures will have a significant impact on the eventual availability of the drugs on the street and, more importantly, have an even more significant impact on those who supply the drugs."
In total, eleven men, aged between 20 and 42 years, were arrested and charged during the operation.
All are due to appear in court on Monday, May 22.
Police said that an estimated £244,900 worth of cannabis plants were recovered from various addresses in Glasgow.
In Paisley, cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £120,000 were seized.
Officers in Dumfries, executed a warrant at a property on High Street, Dumfries and recovered a "significant quantity" of cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £261,000.
Fife police targeted an address in Whytecauseway, Kirkcaldy and recovered a "substantial amount of cannabis plants" estimated to be worth in excess of £740,000.
