Cannabis worth more than £860k seized in one week by Dyfed-Powys Police as six people charged

Dyfed-Powys Police took part in Operation Mille 3 – a week-long national policing operation aimed at disrupting large scale cannabis factories established by organised crime networks – with activity proving highly successful.

Over the week, six properties were raided and seven people arrested. 

Six of the people arrested were charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis, including 35-year-old Ismet Lika who was detained on Wednesday, February 19, after officers forced their way into a four-storey property in Clifton Terrace, Newtown. 

Officers entered with a dog handler in attendance following suspects’ attempts to flee other cannabis factories in Powys during previous warrants.

As the door gave way, Lika was seen fleeing from the kitchen into a front room, prompting swift action to detain him while the remaining rooms were searched.

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said that from the street, there was no way of knowing that 274 cannabis plants were growing inside the red brick building. 

The basement, upper floors and loft area were filled with growing equipment, hydroponic lights and ventilation pipes which fed heat out of the building through the chimney.

The extensive set-up was being run by an illegally adapted electricity supply, with the pavement in front of the house having been dug up to access the mains.

Along with the cannabis plants, which were valued at more than £255,000 two mobile phones, three SIM cards and cash were seized from the house.

Lika, who admitted to the charge of production of cannabis in court, will be sentenced on March 20.

Teams including CID, proactive policing officers, neighbourhood policing and prevention, armed response, dog handlers and drone pilots all played their part in the raids.

Detective Chief Inspector Rich Lewis said: “In just one week we have seized and destroyed a significant amount of cannabis, which will in no doubt have disrupted organised criminal activity within Dyfed-Powys and beyond.

“The growth of cannabis on a commercial scale is a problem we have faced over the past year in Dyfed-Powys, but we are taking a robust approach to stamping it out. 

“We are continually assessing intelligence around where these factories are being set up, and who is involved in establishing and maintaining them, taking swift action when we have enough evidence to strike."

DCI Lewis added: “While our communities might be under the impression that cannabis on this scale would be grown in large industrial units, or out of town, this week of action has seen us target a number of terraced rental properties in or near town centres, which have been converted to grow hundreds of plants.

“These properties look perfectly normal from the street – as careful methods are put in place to cover up illegal activity. 

“However, there are signs to look out for if you suspect you might live near a cannabis factory. 

“We urge you to familiarise yourself with these signs, and to contact us if you have any concerns, or information to share.”

For Dyfed-Powys, this activity is a continuation of Operation Scotney, a CID-led operation which has been running since January 2024. In that time, warrants have been executed at more than 40 industrial scale cannabis factories, and over £12 million of cannabis seized.