Cannabis with a street value of approximately £250,000 was found following a police raid on a property in the middle of Newry city on Monday.
Rows and rows of plants were discovered inside the property on Canal Street, which runs for only a short distance off Sugar Island and Merchants Quay in the city centre.
Officers from the Newry, Mourne & Down District Support Team carried out the search operation of the property shortly 4.40pm.
Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins welcomed the discovery of the “cannabis factory” and the seizure of the approximately £250,000 worth of the drug.
Two men, aged 38, and 28, were arrested on suspicion of drug related offences and remained in custody early Tuesday afternoon
“Police are committed to making Northern Ireland a hostile environment for those in our community who are involved in the drugs trade, or anyone tempted to become involved should be under no illusion - we will seek to identify them, arrest them and place them before the courts,” a PSNI spokesperson said.
Newry and Armagh MLA Ms Kimmins welcomed “the discovery of a cannabis factory and the seizure of a significant amount of the drug”.
“I welcome the work done by a neighbourhood policing team in locating this drug making facility and taking such a quantity of drugs off our streets,” Ms Kimmins said.
”The fact that these drugs will now not find their way into the criminal supply chain is good news. Drugs and the associated criminality destroy our communities and have blighted many lives.
“I would encourage anyone with information on the supply of illegal drugs to bring it forward to the PSNI.”
