Cannabis farms: the hidden risk facing Welsh landlords

Landlords in Wales are being urged to pay attention to warning signs after a rise in cannabis production hidden inside ordinary rental properties.

The warning was delivered by Dyfed-Powys Police, who said the scale of the problem facing the force has meant they have started a dedicated operation targeting organised crime gangs setting up illegal farms across the region.

Operation Scotney has been running since January 2024 and in that time, police have carried out warrants at more than 40 industrial-scale cannabis factories, seizing cannabis worth over £12 million, along with tonnes of specialist heating and lighting equipment used to cultivate it.

Not just rural units

While the farms are often assumed to be based in isolated, out-of-town locations, police say the reality is different. Some of these factories have been former schools, empty shops, and disused newspaper offices.

Detective Chief Inspector Rich Lewis said a single week-long operation alone saw six properties raided across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys, with cannabis worth more than £860,000 seized and six people charged. Several of the properties targeted were terraced rental properties in or near town centres, converted to grow hundreds of plants. He said last year after that capture:

“We are continually assessing intelligence around where these factories are being set up, and who is involved in establishing and maintaining them, taking swift action when we have enough evidence to strike.”

In some cases, these gangs are posing as landlords or construction workers to move in and out of properties without raising suspicion.

What to look out for

Other warning signs to look out for are blacked-out or permanently covered windows, a persistent sweet or skunk-like smell, condensation on windows even in mild weather, and unusual patterns of visitors at odd hours.

It's a reminder of the need for regular property inspections. If a landlord feels anything is off during these visits, they are encouraged to report any concerns directly to the police rather than confronting a situation themselves.

Officers also stressed the exploitation dimension: some individuals found tending these farms are believed to be trafficked or coerced into the work, so tackling them is as much about protecting vulnerable people as it is about stopping drug production.

More information

If you have any concerns, you can report them online or by calling 101. 

Alternatively, you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111 or the Crimestoppers website.