Boston police speak out to reassure public after £6m cannabis raid

Around £6m worth of cannabis plants were seized when police carried out a major operation at the former Fogarty’s factory on March 26.

A large number of officers along with other agencies were involved in the raid on the 50,000 square foot former bedding manufacturing factory, which closed in 2018, after more than 150 years in business, on Fishtoft Road.

Three people were arrested and have been charged in connection with the raid.

Lincolnshire Police described the cannabis grow as the largest scale that has ever been seen in the county.

Sergeant Matt Dickinson of Boston Police said officers recognised concerns about the find and the scale of the police operation.

But he said taking that amount of drugs of the street was good for everyone – and urged members of the public to continue to report any concerns they have about illegal drugs cultivation.

“I know from local community perspective it must have been quite concerning. There was a large amount of police activity there and lots of agencies that were helping us that day,” Sgt Dickinson said.

“The result was fantastic not only for us but for Boston as a community because we’ve managed to get £6m worth of cannabis off the streets and secured and out of harm’s way.

“We are reliant on the public to come forward with information and want to continue to work with you so the people that cause the most harm to our children, our friends, and our family can be taken off the streets and dealt with by the criminal justice system, and we will work tirelessly to deal with these people and aim for the most robust results possible.

“So thank you, this is all because of you and we want to continue to work with you, and I’d urge you if you see anything at all you think is suspicious, or have any information, no mater how small, I’d urge you to call it in on 101, or speak to your local policing officers or your local PCSOs.

“We’re out there in the community and we want that info and we want to talk to you.”

He said if people felt uncomfortable giving their own details, they could contact Crimestoppers independently on 0800 555 111.