8 September 2010 Last updated at 07:41 ET

Eight questioned in Staffordshire after drug raids

Eight men have been arrested and thousands of cannabis plants seized in police raids in Staffordshire, West Midlands and Lincolnshire.

Raids were carried out on five homes in Staffordshire, two homes in the West Midlands and a farm in Lincolnshire.

The arrests were part of a five-month anti-drugs operation involving more than 60 police officers from Staffordshire and Lincolnshire.

All eight men are being held at a Staffordshire police station.

In Staffordshire, a 34-year-old man from Burntwood, a 45-year-old man from Rugeley and a 44-year-old man from Burton were arrested at their home addresses. A 33-year-old man from the Minworth area of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was also arrested in the Burntwood area of Staffordshire.

Cars seized

In the West Midlands, a 40-year-old from Solihull and a 45-year-old and 26-year-old, both from Sutton Coldfield, were arrested at home.

A 59-year-old man was arrested in the Grantham area of Lincolnshire.

In addition to the discovery of the cannabis plants at a farm in Grantham, equipment associated with the cultivation of cannabis was recovered.

Officers also found cannabis being grown in two residential addresses near Burton in Staffordshire and Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.

Three vehicles were seized in the operation on Tuesday along with thousands of pounds in cash.