THE pungent smell hits you in a wave as you walk through the doors. Heaped up in piles everywhere are large paper sacks, overflowing with the drying green cannabis leaves whose aroma fills the air. The drugs store at Torquay police station is filled to capacity after a run of highly successful cannabis raids across the Bay.
Drugs officers believe the recession is one reason for the number of small scale drugs factories and home cannabis farms which are springing up in attics, airing cupboards and bedrooms in flats and houses. The street price of cannabis has gone up so £10 now buys just a small amount. This means just one high-quality plant, such as those seized by officers in Torquay and Paignton over the last week or so, can be worth £400 to £500.
