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19
Nov 2020
Harrogate is the cannabis hotspot of North Yorkshire
Police have raided more cannabis farms in the Harrogate district in the last three years than any other area of North Yorkshire.
A Freedom of Information request by the Stray Ferret to North Yorkshire Police revealed that 25 or more cannabis plants had been seized on 13 occasions in the district since 2017.
The district has also seen the most police activity this year, with 11 cannabis raids compared with just four in all the other districts combined.
In total, police have raided 43 cannabis farms across the county since January 2017.
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Officers also made 22 arrests relating to cannabis farms, though the figure includes people who may have been arrested for more than one offence.
North Yorkshire Police have been approached for comment, but did not respond by time of publication.
‘Sophisticated’ cannabis farms
Police were called to a cannabis farm in the district just two months ago.
In September, officers launched an investigation after a large cannabis farm was found in a former Ripon nightclub.
Officers were called to the former Matrix nightclub on Kirkgage when two people were reportedly seen running away away after being disturbed during a routine building check.
Despite an extensive search, including the use of a police drone, the two people were not found but a search of the building found a “large scale, sophisticated” cannabis farm.
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