A HAUL of up to 500 cannabis plants has been seized following a drugs raid in Southampton.

Police swooped on an address in Prince of Wales Avenue in Millbrook to discover what is thought to be a cannabis farm.

Daily Echo:

They confiscated between 400 and 500 plants following the raid at around 8am on Monday.

According to officers, a drone team identified a “rather unusual heat source” and a strong glow coming from the address.

The raid was part of Operation Fortress which aims to tackle county lines drug trafficking networks in the city.

A 26-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation and remains in police custody at the time of writing.

A police spokesperson said: “Officers carried out a warrant at an address in Prince of Wales Avenue, Southampton, this morning (Monday, June 15). Around 400-500 cannabis plants have been seized.

“A 26-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis. He is currently in police custody.”

In May officers used a battering ram to smash through the door of a home in Mercury Close, Lordshill.

They confiscated an estimated 40 cannabis plants and arrested a 27-year-old man who was later released under investigation.

Meanwhile, in February around 500 cannabis plants thought to be worth £500,000 were found in “factories” at two Southampton properties with officers believing both “factories” were connected

A 38-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of producing a class B drug.

Daily Echo:

He was questioned by officers and later released under investigation.

Commenting at the time, Chief Inspector Phil Lamb said: “We know that a lot of people will think, it’s just a bit of weed, but we want to stress that any production of drugs is linked to hidden harm.

“Large scale operations like this are often run by organised crime gangs.”