It’s no surprise then that criminals produce the class B substance on a huge – sometimes industrial – scale.
While executing one of the warrants in Sunderland city centre, officers also came across a significant cannabis farm with more than 100 plants at various stages of growth.
Officers from the neighbourhood support team carried out dawn strikes at over a dozen homes – including in Sunderland city centre, Ryhope, Downhill, Houghton and South Shields.
A member of the public contacted the police after they had concerns the building was being used to grow drugs for distribution in the Consett area.
Trung Phan was jailed for being concerned in the production of cannabis farm in Cowpen Road, Blyth following a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on March 4.
Phan arrived at Dover on May 28 last year and was taken to an immigration centre then moved to Home Office accommodation in London.
Despite being surrounded by 325 plants, worth up to £129,000, he “ludicrously” claimed he didn’t realise he was living in the midst of a drugs factory.
Some 152 seedling plants were discovered, along with paraphernalia associated with growing the drug.
Hoanganh and Dao, neither of who have previous convictions, were both jailed for six months.
Five men were charged following the discovery of a large cannabis farm in Peterlee back in January.
Ismet Degjoni and Ronaldo Kurti had paid thousands of pounds to be brought to the UK in the back of a lorry, with false promises of a better life and lawful job opportunities.
A cannabis farm that could have netted a crime gang huge profits was smashed in a police bust.
When police raided the home, there were a total of 297 plants growing, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Zoto pleaded guilty to producing cannabis on the basis he had been in the UK for three months, having come here for lawful employment but having been unable to find any.
He had been doing this for a few weeks before his arrest.
The firefighters used a specialist lock pulling kit to force entry to the property where they found 250 cannabis plants filling four rooms, believed to be worth between £50,000 and £75,000.