Gypsies given £1m grant 'turned camp into cannabis factory'

A gypsy community given more than £1 million in public money to improve their caravan site turned it into a giant cannabis factory.

Police raided the camp and found a well-organised operation capable of producing cannabis with a street value of £250,000 a year.

The site received a government grant of £1.3 million in 2011 to refurbish the site and build a community centre for its 120 residents.

But officials were tipped off that the caravan dwellers were seen buying large amounts of compost and gardening equipment from a local garden centre.

Cannabis was found growing in 12 of the 24 caravan plots on the three-acre Glynmill Gypsy and Traveller Site in Merthyr Tyfdil, south Wales.

The street value of the illegal crop is estimated at between £60,000 and £70,000.

With an average three-month growth cycle, it means the site was capable of generating over a quarter of a million pounds worth of cannabis per year.

The site was given £1,343,203 by the Welsh Government after a plea by the traveller community that it needed upgrading.

One traveller told council officials at the time: "This would improve our lives so much - we would be really grateful if you could make this site better for me and my family."

The money was used to build a community hall, three toilet blocks and to landscape the grounds.

A spokesman for the project said: "The primary objective of the project was to create a safe, well-managed and sustainable living environment whilst improving quality of life, health and providing education opportunities for the residents."

^{It is estimated that the operation was capable of producing cannabis with a street value of £250,000 a year}

Sixteen people living on the site were arrested in connection with the production of cannabis and three others in connection with separate offences.

A convoy of 30 vehicles stormed the gypsy camp in a multi-agency raid at 9am on Wednesday morning as part of a wider police operation dubbed Red Lava.

Trading Standards, VOSA, DVLA, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the RSPCA were also involved in the raid.

Chief Inspector Phillip Ashby, of South Wales Police, said: "We were able to act on some good intelligence and put a large and complex operation together.

"Before today, a small minority of individuals linked to the site had done their best to prevent outside engagement with the site, and it is now clear why.

"This now presents an opportunity to build bridges with people at this location and ensure their welfare.

"Those arrested today can expect to be dealt with robustly - we have specially trained officers who will utilise the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure any assets suspected to be gained through criminality are seized.

"My message to anyone growing cannabis is that it's only a matter of time before we find you, no matter where you are."

People living in Merthyr Tydfil were angry that public money had been "wasted" at a time when education and social budgets are being cut.

One resident, who lives on a new housing estate just 400 yards from the gypsy site, said: "A lot of money was spent improving their lives and they have taken advantage by turning the place into a cannabis farm.

"The police were seen taking huge bushes of the stuff away.

"I have nothing against genuine gypsies but all the money spent on this community has been wasted if they are not going to abide by the law."