Alert officers sniff outcannabis factory

The officers were at the scene in relation to a man causing annoyance in the street when they got suspicious of a distinctive odour emanating from the property.

When they searched the house they came across a cannabis factory and located up to £14,000 worth of drugs. Plants and other associated drugs paraphernalia were removed from the scene.

Area Commander Chief Inspector Darrin Jones praised the quick actions of the officers who acted on their suspicions. He described them as behaving in ‘exemplary fashion.’

“All officers are briefed to be continually alert to anything that could be indicative of drug activity and in this case these officers acted in an exemplary fashion and immediately acted to shut this factory down,” he said.

“In doing so they have struck another significant blow against drug dealers in our city.”

He said the latest incident showed how the police strive to continually get rid of drugs from the streets.

“The community in Lisburn has identified drugs as a priority for police and in light of this local officers work tirelessly to remove illegal drugs from our streets,” he said.

“We have had a number of great successes recently and I believe much more can be achieved when police and the community work together.

“I thank the residents of Lisburn for their continuing support and I would encourage to work with us to take drugs and the people who deal them out of circulation for good.”

It is the second cannabis factory found in Lisburn in recent months. In October plants and equipment were found in an empty shop in the city centre.