Two charged over cannabis production after operation worth nearly £730,000 raided in Newcastle

Officers have charged two men with producing a controlled drug of Class B (cannabis) after a growing operation worth nearly £730,000 was discovered in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

We received a call at about 11.15am on Saturday (16 January) from a member of the public who had seen two men trying car and van doors near the Fed Ex Facility next to the A34 Talke Road. Officers attended and one of the men was detained at the scene.

The other had fled on foot south on the A34 but was detained off Winpenny Road.

One of the men was carrying cash and the other some mobile phones.

Following enquiries, Police Community Support Officers attended an empty warehouse on nearby Rosevale Road – part of the Parkhouse Industrial Estate - which was being used to cultivate cannabis. Officers at the scene estimated there to be about 2,000 plants inside.

An independent expert has put the street value of the plants at about £728,750.

The two men – Thang Van Nguyen, aged 20, and Anh Van Nguyen, aged 21, of no fixed address – were arrested and subsequently charged to appear before the next available court.

Chief Inspector Phil Duffy, Staffordshire Police’s Local Police Commander for Newport, said: “This was an excellent example of teamwork and I am very grateful to the member of the public who contacted us.

“We rely heavily on the public to help us keep our communities as safe as we can. Once again, I would particularly urge landlords to know who is using your properties and make regular checks on them.

“We treat every call seriously and would urge anyone with information to message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter, call 101 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”