'Slaves' released during raid on cannabis factory

Cannabis plants — Image caption,

Police said the find highlighted the "impact that cannabis cultivation has in relation to modern day slavery"

By Harriet Heywood

BBC News, Cambridgeshire

Two men found locked in an outbuilding are being treated as potential victims of modern slavery.

A cannabis factory containing 1,845 plants has been seized in Graveley, Cambridgeshire.

Police were called after reports of a "suspicious smell" near Offord Road.

An investigation has been launched and police said it highlighted the "impact that cannabis cultivation has in relation to modern day slavery".

Officers entering the factory — Image caption,

Officers seized 1,845 plants with an estimated value of more than £1.5m

Two men, aged 34 and 35, are being protected my authorities.

Cambridgeshire Police said they found the men locked in an outbuilding "where they were forced to live and tend to a cannabis factory".

The plants seized by officers had an estimated value of more than £1.5m.

Insp Colin Norden, from the Huntingdonshire Neighbourhood Team, said: "This highlights the impact that cannabis cultivation has in relation to modern day slavery and the funding of organised crime. They are inextricably linked and neither has any place in our communities.

"Those who take advantage of others for organised criminality can expect to be brought to justice.

"We urge anyone with information or suspicions regarding drug activity in their area to contact us or Crimestoppers."