City properties most at risk to drug gangs identified

A new database has been developed showing which properties are most likely to be used as illegal cannabis farms.

Gwent police and Newport council have joined forces to identify and monitor unused flats and business properties that might be targeted by drugs gangs.

This follows a number of raids and arrests of people accused of breaking into empty buildings and stealing electricity from the power grid to grow cannabis plants.

Police have identified the kinds of properties most vulnerable, with council CCTV teams monitoring them.

Business owners are being encouraged to report any concerns to the police or council “to ensure early identification and action”.

Meanwhile, two men who pleaded guilty to producing cannabis at the Neon, on Clarence Place, in December 2023, are awaiting sentence.