Police in Northern Ireland and England have uncovered two significant cannabis factories in separate operations this week, highlighting both the scale and complexity of the illegal drug trade across the UK. The discoveries, which took place near Bangor, County Down, and in Hull, have led to multiple arrests and the seizure of substantial quantities of cannabis plants and cash, underscoring the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to tackle organized crime.
On the morning of August 20, 2025, officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) Organised Crime Branch and Auto Crime Team swooped on a warehouse just outside Bangor, County Down. According to Belfast Live, two men, both aged 30, were detained by police in a vehicle as they attempted to leave the premises. Upon entering the warehouse, officers were met with a sprawling cannabis cultivation operation spread across two floors. The estimated street value of the potential yield from this sophisticated setup was pegged at around £400,000 per harvest—a staggering figure that points to the industrial scale of the enterprise.
Detective Inspector Kelly of the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch was blunt in his assessment of the situation. He stated, “The potential street value of the yield from the cultivation would be in the region of £400,000 per harvest and a considerable amount of time and money has been invested in the enterprise by those involved. This has all the hallmarks of organized crime.” Kelly emphasized that such operations are far from victimless, adding, “A considerable policing operation is now ongoing to dismantle the facility.”
The investigation did not end at the Bangor warehouse. Police also searched a second property in the Newtownabbey area, where they discovered approximately £13,000 in cash, believed to be linked to the proceeds of crime. The PSNI has made a public appeal for information, urging anyone who may have knowledge relevant to the case to contact police using reference number 605 20/08/25. They have provided multiple avenues for reporting, including the non-emergency online form and the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline.
The Bangor bust is just one of several recent successes for UK police in their ongoing battle against large-scale cannabis cultivation. In a separate incident in Hull, officers uncovered another major operation—this time at a residential address on Morpeth Street. On May 20, 2025, police executed a warrant at the property, which had been divided into three flats. Inside, they found a total of 324 cannabis plants being grown across two of the flats. The estimated yield from this grow was a hefty 15 kilograms, with a potential street value of about £150,000, according to reporting from Hull Live.
The man at the center of the Hull operation, Renaldas Grigaliunas, aged 42, had been “on the run” for approximately three years after failing to attend a previous court hearing. Back in March 2022, Grigaliunas had been stopped by police while driving disqualified and without insurance. At that time, officers discovered three shoeboxes containing 120 young cannabis plants, which had an estimated yield of 6.6 kilograms and a potential value of between £26,000 and £66,000. A “grow diary” was also found, documenting the cultivation process in detail. After his arrest in May, Grigaliunas pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to charges of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, producing cannabis, and the earlier driving offences. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
Prosecutor Ben Hammersley told Hull Crown Court that the Morpeth Street property had been split into three flats to facilitate the grow. “This grow was spread across two of the flats,” he said, highlighting the organized nature of the operation. Grigaliunas, originally from Lithuania, had no previous convictions in his home country but did have minor driving offences in the UK and a prior conviction for narcotics trafficking in Germany. His defense counsel, Michael Masson, noted that Grigaliunas was “entirely realistic about facing an immediate prison sentence” and had admitted his guilt from the outset.
These two cases, while geographically distant, share several striking similarities. Both involved sophisticated setups capable of producing large quantities of cannabis, and both were orchestrated by individuals or groups willing to invest significant time and resources into their illicit activities. The financial stakes are high: with street values running into hundreds of thousands of pounds per harvest, the temptation for criminal enterprises is considerable.
Detective Inspector Kelly’s remarks underscore the seriousness with which law enforcement views these operations. “This type of criminality is far from victimless,” he said, pointing to the broader social harms associated with organized drug production. Cannabis factories can create a host of problems for local communities, from the risk of fire due to illegal electrical setups to the potential for violence and exploitation within the criminal networks that run them.
The PSNI’s ongoing investigation into the Bangor factory is still at an early stage, and police have indicated that further arrests and searches may follow as they work to dismantle the wider network. They have called on the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity, stressing that community cooperation is vital in the fight against organized crime. “Our investigation is at an early stage and I would urge anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 605 20/08/25. A report can be made online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/,” Kelly stated, as reported by Belfast Live.
Meanwhile, the Hull case serves as a reminder that even those who evade justice for years may eventually be brought to account. Grigaliunas’s conviction and sentencing mark the end of a lengthy pursuit by authorities, and his case illustrates the challenges police face in tracking down individuals involved in the drug trade, especially when they cross borders and use multiple identities.
Both cases highlight the adaptability and determination of organized crime groups operating in the UK’s illegal cannabis market. The profits can be enormous, but so too are the risks, both for the criminals involved and for the communities affected by their activities. As police continue to clamp down on these operations, the message is clear: the fight against illegal cannabis cultivation is far from over, and law enforcement remains committed to rooting out those who profit from it—no matter how elaborate their schemes.
With further investigations underway and the public’s help being sought, the story of these cannabis factories is not yet finished. But for now, police have scored notable victories in their ongoing campaign to disrupt organized drug crime across the UK.
