News / Avon and Somerset Constabulary
£25k worth of cannabis seized in Montpelier
Cannabis with an estimated street value of £25,000 has been seized following a drugs bust in Montpelier.
Officers raided a property in Wellington Avenue on Monday (December 11) morning, where they also found around £1,000 in cash, scales and mobile phones.
A 56-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and remains in police custody in Patchway.
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The raid is part of a force-wide crackdown on Bristol’s illegal drugs trade and its exploitation of vulnerable people.
£25,000 worth of cannabis, along with cash, scales and mobile phones were seized in the raid
It follows similar police action late last month in Cairns Crescent, St Paul’s, when officers found around £53,000 worth of cannabis, along with Class A drugs to the value of £40,000 and £16,500 in cash.
A 26-year-old man from St Paul’s was charged with possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs, as well as money laundering, and has been remanded in custody to appear at Bristol Magistrates Court in January.
Neighbourhood sergeant Mark Aston said: “People often mistakenly think that cannabis is a harmless drug, that it’s ‘just a bit of weed’ and don’t understand why we carry out these types of warrants.
“Cannabis and its production is far from harmless. Vulnerable people are often exploited in its production, by organised crime gangs who don’t care who they hurt in its cultivation. The plants are often grown in ordinary residential houses, where dodgy wiring by-passes the electricity meter, causing a massive risk of fire, which threatens neighbouring families.
“These drugs end up on the streets of local communities, where children as young as 10 can get hooked. Families can be torn apart as a result of parents smoking it, to the detriment of their kids. Overuse can cause psychotic episodes so terrible that people have thrown themselves off buildings.
“Cannabis is not always recreational and it has a human side to it. It’s more than ‘just a bit of weed’.
“We need local people to act as our eyes and ears in their communities and tell us what they know.”
Report anything suspicious to police online or by calling 101.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org. Up to £1,000 reward is offered for information which leads to an arrest and charge.
Read more: Bristol West MP calls on prime minister to reform ‘failing’ drugs laws
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