Hundreds of cannabis plants seized in St Leonards during raid

Sussex Police said 304 plants were recovered from across four rooms.

A police spokesperson said officers executed a warrant at the property in Magdalen Road on Tuesday, October 24, along with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and the Department for Work and Pensions.

A 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supply of a Class B drug and fraud by false representation and has been bailed while the investigation continues, police added.

Sussex Police said the warrant had been granted after the fire service visited the property on October 10 as part of its fire safety work and raised concerns which led to a formal Prohibition Notice under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

A joint approach was then requested and resulted in the warrant being served in October.

Detective Sergeant Greg Montier, of the Discovery team and Project ADDER, said: “This number of plants had the potential to produce hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of cannabis a year. We are committed to disrupting and reducing drug-relating harm in Sussex and will continue to tackle this issue.”

Enquiries are ongoing and officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in this area to report it to police online or via 101, quoting 47230208920.

Project ADDER stands for Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery and is a government initiative to tackle to tackle drug-related crime and harm in Hastings.

It sees Sussex Police working in partnership with East Sussex County Council and health services to target local gang leaders driving the drugs trade while better helping people to recover from addictions.