A FACTORY full of hundreds of cannabis plants was uncovered yesterday during a dramatic police raid at a unit on Wrexham’s Vauxhall Industrial Estate.

Six police vehicles raced to the unit near Ruabon at 11.20am following an intelligence gathering operation.

Officers used bolt cutters to gain access to the site before levering open a factory door where they discovered a significant amount of cannabis plants.

Hundreds of mature plants were found in separate rooms alongside incubators where younger plants were being grown.

Inspector for Wrexham Rural, Paul Jones, said: “It’s a big haul compared to what we would usually find in Wrexham. The factory was full of cannabis plants.

“This was a large intelligence based operation which lead us to the site, involving the air support unit and local officers.”

Dog handlers stepped in to detain two suspects who attempted to escape the property via a back door.

A police helicopter was also deployed to safeguard against suspects leaving the scene.

Five men were arrested on suspicion of cannabis production during the raid and were placed under police custody awaiting questioning.

Insp Jones added: “This operation just goes to show that neighbourhood policing is alive and well and we’re always determined to reduce crime in the area.

“Crime is already relatively low here, but we want to get it down even further.”

In a separate raid at a residential property on Colemere Road, Pen-y-Bryn, at 1.45pm yesterday police seized heroin with a street value of £350.

Five officers attended the scene and forced entry into the property.

Two male suspects were detained with one later arrested and taken into police custody for questioning after heroin was found on his person.

A sniffer dog was also deployed and a box containing syringes was found.

Paul Davies, community beat manager for Wrexham, said: “It was a very successful operation and we are always grateful for information we receive from members of the public.

“Our job would be a lot harder without such information.”