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The figures shed light on the drug underworld in Bradford, Leeds, and surrounding areas.
While often viewed as a harmless drug, cannabis and the money produced from it are linked to serious criminality, violence, and county lines offending.
A Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Police asked for the total number of offences that include the production of the Class B controlled drug cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol, and cannabinol derivatives.
It also asked for the number of people charged or summonsed for the offence and warrants executed following suspicion of the offence.
The total number of recorded crimes from April 2022 to April 2025 reached 2,238, while there were 802 arrests resulting in a charge.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Cannabis production is a blight on our communities, and we continue to take action to remove significant amounts of this drug out of our neighbourhoods.
“Money from the drugs produced can be used to finance all sorts of criminality, including serious and organised crime, violent crime and County Lines offending which can ensnare young and vulnerable people.”
Bradford is no stranger to cannabis-related criminality, with cases regularly heard at the city’s crown court.
Back in March, two men appeared in court when a cannabis farm, which could have netted criminals £1.2 million, was unearthed.
Officers forced entry into the property on Lumb Lane on January 22 this year and discovered a sophisticated, well-resourced cannabis farm with hundreds of plants in various stages of growth.
Two Vietnamese construction workers were found locked inside the house, and officers described them as looking “scared and shaken up”.
The cannabis farm on Lumb Lane (Image: West Yorkshire Police) The pair claimed that others had “forced” them into working at the premises.
Both men pleaded guilty to the charge at their first hearing before the magistrates court and each of them was jailed for 20 months.
Their illegal entry status means they also face being deported after serving their jail sentences.
In February, an illegal immigrant from Albania was jailed for 20 months after he was caught at a cannabis farm hidden inside a Baildon house.
A file picture of a cannabis farm He was arrested last November when police acted on community intelligence.
Officers searched the property and found around 200 mature plants as well as several bin bags full of cannabis that had been harvested.
Mitigating, it was claimed the Albanian national, had entered the UK illegally in 2022 “to enrich himself and to get away from the hardship of his life” in his home country.
If you suspect a cannabis farm in your area, contact West Yorkshire Police via the 101 online chat or reach out anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“}]] More than 2,000 crimes involving cannabis production have been recorded across West Yorkshire over the past three years, new figures reveal. Read More
