Officers discover 240 cannabis plants in Welsh city centre flat

Neighbourhood officers at Gwent Police uncovered 240 cannabis plants after responding to reports of a suspected cannabis cultivation at a flat in Newport city centre.

When officers searched the property on 27 November of last year, they discovered 119 plants in one room, 65 in another and 56 in a third room and lighting equipment at the address in Commercial Street.

Officers arrested a man inside the property and recovered two mobile phones.

Hung Phan, 29, pleaded guilty to producing a controlled drug of class B – cannabis, when he appeared for sentencing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday 12 February.

He received a sentence of nine months.

PC Oliver Grimas, the officer in the case, said: “I want to reassure all residents, businesses, staff and visitors that we’re working together with our partners to make life better in Newport city centre for everyone.

“We receive regular intelligence from within the city centre that our teams analyse, investigate and act upon and we’re grateful for the continued support of our residents.

“Commercial burglaries in the city centre, for example, have fallen by 18.3% in the current financial year to date compared to the previous year.

“Reports of violence with injury offences have dropped by 9.5% over the same timeframe.

“However, the threat posed by organised crime groups cannot be understated.

“The profits from the production, sale and supply of drugs can have far-reaching effects on our communities and are often used by organised crime groups to fund criminal activities.

“We’ll continue to do all we can to investigate suspicious behaviour and take action against criminals to protect vulnerable people from harm.

“We ask all landlords and registered owners of all occupied and vacant properties, businesses or garages, located in the city centre of Newport or further afield, to conduct regular checks on their premises to ensure they are not being used for illegal activity.”

If you see any unusual or suspicious activity, report it to Gwent Police via their website, call on 101, or direct message on their Facebook or X social media pages.

In an emergency, always dial 999.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, with information or visit their website.