Drugs raid on exclusive Little Aston road

A MASSIVE drugs factory was uncovered by police officers in an exclusive Sutton road, home to millionaire footballers and high-flying businessmen.

A seven-bedroomed house in Roman Road in Little Aston was raided on Tuesday morning by teams of police officers.

They smashed through the wrought iron gates before entering the property to discover a large-scale cannabis cultivation operation.

Around £250,000 worth of cannabis was seized by officers along with bundles of cash and expensive lighting equipment.

It was one of eight addresses raided by more than 50 police officers in the region as part of an operation which uncovered a further two cannabis factories in nearby Walsall.

A complex network of electronics was discovered inside the huge property.

Foil was used to block out the sunlight and only one of the house's many rooms was actually used as a bedroom.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Evans told the Observer police believe the Roman Road-based factory had only been in operation for two to three weeks.

He said: "We have been working on this operation for five to six weeks based on information provided from our Neighbourhood Policing Teams and from members of the public.

"The message is clear, we will carry on investigating cannabis cultivation and those guilty of this crime can expect our attention soon."

Across the eight address operation, 17 people were arrested and detained on suspicion of conspiracy to cultivate cannabis and supply a controlled drug.

On Wednesday, fifteen people were charged with conspiracy to produce cannabis, with one male being charged with production of cannabis.