West Midlands

More than 300 cannabis factories were discovered by West Midlands police last year - many of them in rented properties restructured to grow hundreds of illegal plants at a time.

The properties, often rented by tenants who seem genuine, are stripped bare and have walls knocked through in order to fit in cannabis plant-growing equipment and special lighting.

Paying up months in advance, the criminals leave houses in disrepair and landlords with unpaid electricity bills reaching into thousands of pounds.

And the energy companies themselves are also being left out of pocket with thousands of pounds worth of electricity being stolen by houses being rewired to bypass the meter.

Ordinary suburban homes

Inside Out has visited a house on the outskirts of Coventry which was used as such a 'drug factory'. It’s on a main road and looks like a typical suburban home from the outside.

The lounge converted to grow cannabis

But inside the four bedroomed detached house were hundreds of illegal cannabis plants along with bright lights and electric heaters which kept the meters turning 24 hours a day.

For months the cannabis growers managed to keep all of it secret from the neighbours.

A profile of the criminals who grow the cannabis has started to emerge. They're young, often from South East Asia and they live amongst their plants with only a TV and mattress for comfort.

South East Asian criminals

Seventeen Vietnamese nationals were arrested last year by West Midlands police for farming cannabis. 

Dorothy Vuong: fears about negative attention

DrugScope, an independent charity providing information on drugs and advice on policy-making and good practice, says Chinese/Vietnamese criminals are the organisers, enticing young people into getting involved and arranging their passage to the UK.

Dorothy Vuong, one of the founders of Birmingham's Vietnamese development centre fears that this sort of organised criminality will bring negative attention to the Vietnamese community.

She said, "The Vietnamese are being perceived as the cannabis growers, even though 99% of us have never even seen a cannabis plant..."

What can landlord do?

Landlords are also being caught out and left with hefty bills by the cannabis farmers, clearing up a house that’s had walls knocked down and wiring tampered with isn't cheap.

John Socha from the National Landlords' Association says landlords need to take precautions and should always check prospective tenants references and inspect their properties regularly.

So far only people growing the cannabis plants have been pulled-in by the police, not the criminals in charge and until those gang leaders are caught the police will continue to rely on vigilant neighbours keeping their eyes out for more suspicious signs in the suburbs.

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