by Cathal McGuigan

The Causeway Coast and Glens council district is one of the most common areas for drug-related arrests and cannabis farms, according to recent PSNI figures.

A PSNI report on drug seizures and arrests showed that although incidents involving cannabis farms were falling across the north, the number of incidents in the Causeway Coast and Glens area was increasing.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) defines a cannabis farm as a location containing 25 cannabis plants or more, or a property containing “items soley concerned for the production of cannabis,” such as hydroponics systems or high intensity lighting. The report showed that police dealt with 34 incidents involving cannabis farms across the north over the past year, compared to 50 the previous year.

The number of cannabis farms in the Causeway Coast area rose from four between June 2015 and June 2016 to five in the past year, meaning the area is second only to Belfast – where ten were discovered in the past year – for the number of cannabis farms found. There were no cannabis farms discovered in the Mid Ulster area last year, compared to three in 2015/16.

The number of drug-related arrests across the north fell from 2,864 from June 2015 to June 2016, to 2,712 over the past year. Although the number of drug arrests in the Causeway Coast and Glens area has fallen from 268 in 2015/16 to 178 in the past year, the area remains one of the most common areas in the north for drug related arrests.

The Mid Ulster area has the lowest number of drug related arrests of any council district, with 101 arrests last year, down from 117 in 2015/16.

While the figures show a dramatic fall in the quantity of ecstasy and Benzodiazepines (benzos) seized across the north, there has been a significant rise in the number of LSD microdots being seized.

The report also shows a stark rise in the seizure of cannabis oil, with 796.7g seized in the past year, compared to just 63g in 2015/16.

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