Northumbria Police discovered a ‘significant’ cannabis farm while carrying out raids in Sunderland and South Tyneside.
A dedicated taskforce executed coordinated warrants across Sunderland and South Tyneside last week to track down a number of suspects.
Officers drew up a shortlist of their most wanted burglary suspects who were each believed to be attempting to stay under the radar and were evading arrest.
Officers from the neighbourhood support team (NST) carried out dawn strikes at over a dozen homes – including in Sunderland city centre, Ryhope, Downhill, Houghton and South Shields.
While executing one of the warrants in Sunderland city centre, officers also came across a significant cannabis farm with more than 100 plants at various stages of growth.
The drugs were seized and the farm has been dismantled – with enquiries ongoing into the discovery.
A total of 10 suspects were arrested during the raids between Wednesday and Friday last week.
Eight men and one woman were detained after being wanted in connection with ongoing burglary investigations, while a further male was arrested on suspicion of robbery and breaching a restraining order.
Of those arrested, four men are due to appear in court – one charged with attempted burglary, a second charged with robbery and breach of a restraining order, a third charged with criminal damage and a fourth in connection with breach of an order.
Four men were released on police bail and another man remains under investigation. One woman arrested has been eliminated from police enquiries.