Air fresheners fail to mask drugs factory in Porter Square

Published: 12 March 2010
by RÓISÍN GADELRAB

A RAFT of air fresheners were used to try to mask an “Aladdin’s cave” of cannabis hidden in the loft of a Holloway flat.

Police from Tollington and St George’s Safer Neighbourhoods team discovered a line of air fresheners leading up the stairwell to the flat, in Porter Square, when they raided it last Monday. But the smell of the hidden crop was still too strong and officers were led straight to the loft, where they uncovered a makeshift cannabis factory, and an estimated £4,000 worth of harvested herb – about 80 plants.

Sgt Don Cormican said: “We got information from the local community that people were growing cannabis from the location. We went round to check the address, had a sniff round. 

“To the traditional policeman’s nose, you could smell it, it was extremely strong.”

A woman returned to the flat while he police were in the middle of their search. She was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and released on bail pending further inquiries.

Sgt Cormican added: “There was nothing downstairs but when we lifted the hatch to the loft, it was an Aladdin’s cave. 

“They had installed an air purifier to try to get rid of the smell. It was connected to the vents in the roof. The plants had all been cut from the pots – there were about 200 stalks. It certainly was a strong cannabis type, we suspect it’s skunk.”

Sgt Cormican said it was uncommon to find this scale of production in loft spaces.