POLICE arrested a man after a town centre drugs raid on Monday (November 4) uncovered a large cannabis cultivation across five floors of a disused commercial property next to WH Smith.

A warrant was executed around 8.30am under the Misuse of Drugs Act at the former TUI premises on High Street, Chepstow,

A Gwent Police spokesperson said on Monday evening: "We uncovered a large cannabis cultivation across five floors and arrested a man on the suspicion of the production of class B controlled drugs – cannabis.

"The man, aged 36, remains in police custody at this time, as our enquiries continue."

PC Hywel Evans, the officer in the case, said: "This cannabis cultivation in Chepstow was discovered following reports of suspicious activity inside the building.

"While producing cannabis may not seem like a serious offence, it can often be linked to sophisticated organised crime groups.

“Every cannabis factory we dismantle helps disrupt these operations, the plants are stopped from being sold into our communities and the profits are prevented from going on to fund other crime.

“The public play an important role in providing information and we encourage anyone with concerns about illegal drugs in their area to get in touch so that we can take action."

If you have any information or CCTV footage that could assist our investigation, contact us via the website, call 101, or direct message us on our Facebook or X pages, quoting log reference 2400363128.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, with information.