ALMOST 2,000 cannabis plants have been seized following police raids at two Southampton properties.
Police have confiscated around 1,782 cannabis plants after raiding two disused commercial buildings on Wednesday.
Police were spotted outside the former site of Rocket Ronnie's in Castle Way.
Officers also searched a site in Southampton High Street.
They found fully grown plants, saplings and empty pots indicating a crop had already been harvested.
Police believe both operations to be connected.
Two men in their 20s were located inside the premises and were initially arrested on suspicion of producing a Class B drug.
However, according to police, they are now being treated as potential victims.
It is estimated the plants and previous crop are worth over £3.8 million.
Chief Inspector Ricky Dhanda said: “We know that a lot of people will think, it’s just cannabis, but we want to stress that any production of drugs is linked to hidden harm.
"Large scale operations like this are often run by organised crime gang.
"Those gangs are likely to engage in very serious violence involving weapons, such as firearms.
"They may also take advantage of vulnerable people, exploiting them or making them work in servitude.
“The electrical requirement to grow this many plants is also really dangerous and can be a huge fire risk, putting neighbouring properties, and lives in danger.
“It is not just cannabis, it’s linked to serious criminality.
"That’s why we are really keen to hear from people who suspect there is cannabis cultivation or drug-related activity going on their neighbourhood.
“Every call you make to us is logged and helps us build up an intelligence picture about what might be happening in your community.
"This allows us to take action and prevent your neighbourhoods from harm.”
Enquiries are ongoing.
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