Operation Keymer

Operation Keymer was a crackdown on cannabis growing factories in the United Kingdom during in the autumn of 2006. This was the first operation by the police to specifically target growing factories and the police described it as a great success.

Scale of operation
The extent of the operation is not specifically known and reporting of it is contradictory. A Cambridgeshire Police report stated that between September 25 and Friday October 6, nine raids took place netting them 12 arrests and over 4500 plants. The Guardian website reports that over the same period 28,000 cannabis plants, 54 kilos which is reported as worth £2.5 million.

The Cambridge police claim to have seized 2.7 million pounds of cannabis, in the 2 weeks they reported on. Assuming a street value of £20 for one eighth of an ounce that means a haul of £2.7 million / £20 / 8 = 16875 ounces. One assumes the weight is inflated because of plants not being dried before being weighed.

Effects of raids
On the street it widely affected the supply of cannabis, leading to lots of "dry" areas. Shortages were predicted to continue until February when the replacement stocks were ready to be harvested.

The operation is blamed for the spreading of sub standard cannabis containing silica, a sand like substance that when inhaled causes silicosis (a form of irreversible damage to the lungs).

Vietnamese illicit enterprises in the UK
These cannabis factories and farms are almost run exclusively by Vietnamese people. It is conservatively estimated that there are 3000 such illicit enterprises in London alone, and another 500 in the Birmingham area. Over three quarters are estimated to be Vietnamese operated. The Vietnamese population is estimated to be about 30,000 in London. From the statistics, it is easy to see that this is a Vietnamese community-wide industry. The Met's comment was that they close one, another three spring up. These Vietnamese operations are springing up all over the UK at an alarming rate having spread from London to the rest of England, Scotland and Wales. In one Court hearing, a judge in Oxford Crown Court called this phenomenon a Vietnamese culture and issued a warning to the Vietnamese community. The Vietnamese use nail parlour businesses as fronts and use young innocent looking women and children to rent properties from unsuspecting house owners. In another Police Operation, Operation Pentameter, it was found that the Vietnamese are also involved in prostitution and brothel keeping. These operations also rely on people smuggling from Vietnam.

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