Police raided an enormous cannabis factory hidden inside a former casino and found thousands of plants worth ‘millions’ across all three floors.
Officers used chainsaws to smash their way into the disused Aspers casino in Northampton town centre at around 9am on Thursday.
Inside they found hordes of plants in various stages of growth scattered all around the building on Commercial Street.
Northamptonshire Police said the find was one of the biggest cannabis factories in the county’s history.
They also discovered multiple doors bricked over and rooms reinforced with steel in a bid to keep police out.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and remains in custody.
Nic Davis-Lyons, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Northampton Central, said: ‘We forced entry using specialist officers to gain access to the premises, and we’ve uncovered quite a large cannabis production operation.
‘It’s very big – it spans three floors.
‘Obviously, we’re really pleased to get this amount of drugs off the streets, but there’s another side to it that we need to focus on.
Officers used chainsaws to smash their way into the disused Aspers casino in Northampton town centre at around 9am yesterday
Northamptonshire Police said the find was one of the biggest cannabis factories in the county’s history
Inside they found hordes of plants in various stages of growth scattered all around the building on Commercial Street
‘A production of this scale involves a lot of organisation, and there will be an organised criminal group behind it.
‘Quite often, they traffic and exploit people into operations like this, probably under threat of violence, and that’s a side people don’t often see.
‘This isn’t just about cannabis or seizing drugs – it’s about identifying and targeting those who cause harm, exploit vulnerable people, and use them in operations like this.
‘As we forced entry to the property, one male gave himself up to us; he’s now in custody and the investigation into his involvement is ongoing.
‘The setup here is very organised – efforts had been made to keep the police out, with some doors bricked over and rooms reinforced with steel.
‘This morning was about making the scene safe so our specialists and scenes of crime officers could get in, recover evidence, and begin dismantling the setup.
‘Everything now slows down so we can work methodically, carefully, and safely – maximising what we can from the investigation while keeping our team safe.
‘At this stage, I don’t have an estimate of the street value because we haven’t completed a full count of the plants, but I’d personally estimate there are thousands in there. It’s a very big operation.
‘This warrant was led by the neighbourhood team, who’ve made a huge effort over the past six months to be more visible and engaged in the town.
‘When we receive intelligence, we develop it as quickly as possible – and in this case, once we had the information, we acted swiftly to get in.’
A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman added: ‘Police officers executed a warrant at the old casino building in Commercial Street, Northampton, at about 9am this morning (October 30).
‘A large cannabis grow was discovered inside with plants in various stages of growth across multiple floors.
‘One arrest has been made and officers are now working to clear the location and make the building safe.’
