Cannabis worth £100,000 seized in police raid on flat

HUNDREDS of cannabis plants worth £100,000 have been seized by police after a raid on a flat in the Capital.

Stunned residents in Clermiston looked on as several police vans descended on the quiet street which is just a few hundred yards away from Queensferry Road.

Officers are now trying to track down the resident of the flat on Parkgrove Street who they believe is responsible for cultivating the drugs.

It is the latest in a series of cannabis captures by police in the Capital.

Nearly 500,000 was seized this year up to March and it follows a raid which uncovered 300,000 worth of cannabis in Longniddry in May.

Normal life in the street was disrupted yesterday when dozens of policemen arrived and forced entry into the flat which is above a row of shops including a newsagent, barber and a pharmacist.

They had already maintained a smaller presence in the area in the days leading up to the seizure, locals said.

Soon after, they began bringing out hundreds of black plastic plant pots filled with earth along with equipment often used for growing the drug.

Despite the huge haul and the fact Lothian and Borders police were tipped off thanks to "suspicious activity", neighbours and local workers said they knew nothing.

One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had lived close to the building for more than a decade but had never seen anything to suggest it was a drugs factory.

"We were all shocked when the police turned up, as there were so many of them," he said. "They were there for a day or so before they started bringing stuff out, like boxes, plant pots and fans.

"There's never been a drugs raid here in all the time I've lived here and to be honest we all thought that building was empty, and had been empty for a few years.

"I never saw anything suspicious, but it's close to a shop so there were delivery vans coming and going at odd hours."

Most people were remaining tight-lipped about the developments, while several neighbours of the flat in question were glued to their windows yesterday lunchtime.

Eventually, two council skips arrived to take away soil amassed in the numerous plant pots. The flat looks on to Clermiston Primary school and the Munro Community Centre.

Another resident, who didn't want to be named, said: "You don't know who you're living beside these days. This isn't the first time a raid like this has happened around here."

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to a property in Parkgrove Street on Tuesday evening, following reports of suspicious activity.

"On gaining entry, officers discovered approximately 350 cannabis plants at various stages of maturity, along with associated growing equipment. The estimated value of the cultivation is approximately 100,000.

"Inquiries are ongoing to trace an individual who was believed to be residing at the address."

Anyone with information should contact police.

.