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Alleged Black Country cannabis farmers face deportation

A shotgun, a handgun and around 1,000 cannabis plants were found at the drugs farm.

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Police found cannabis and guns at an industrial unit in Oldbury

Four men who were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis in the Black Country have been transferred to an immigration reception centre in Kent.

The men, all Albanian nationals in the country illegally, were arrested after more than 1,000 cannabis plants were discovered at the Granada Trading Estate in Oldbury.

Police found the drugs farm after being tipped off about men trying to ram-raid a unit with a van on Tuesday.

The men failed to smash their way in and when West Midlands Police officers arrived they found the plants and the four suspected drugs farmers, aged 21, 22, 29 and 30.

And as well as the industrial cannabis set-up, officers have now revealed that specialist search teams found a shotgun on the roof of the unit as well as a live shotgun cartridge and a black handgun hidden inside a bag.

Both weapons have since been sent off for forensic analysis.

Lamps, wires and ventilation ducts were inside the unit

Photos taken at the drugs farm showed hundreds of plants packed into the unit, off Park Lane near Junction 2 of the M5, below numerous grow lamps and ventilation ducts.

Detective Inspector Phil Asquith said: “The men trying to force entry to the unit made off very quickly.

"Our officers arrived on the scene about eight minutes after the initial 999 call and that enabled us to make the arrests on site and secure the location.

“We’ve gone on to find what appears to be two viable, potentially lethal firearms inside.

"That’s two more weapons off our streets and we’ll now be examining those to determine if they’ve been used in crime or shootings.

"Anyone who witnessed the attempted ram raid, or a van speeding off from the scene, is urged to contact West Midlands Police on 101 or via Live Chat at WMP Online quoting crime number 20SW/238553M/18."

Alternatively, anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111

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