Hundreds of bingo halls across the UK are either currently closed or have been abandoned due to the current Covid pandemic. With bingo halls being forced to close and the Government restrictions having a huge impact on the industry, many bingo venues just haven’t survived, which has led to an increase in vandalism and crime. One particular bingo hall in Inverclyde, Scotland, has been at the centre of a £1million drugs raid. More shockingly, it is alleged that a 16 year-old boy is one of the masterminds behind the stash.
£1million drugs raid
The 16 year-old boy and a 40 year-old man were arrested after the Cannabis growing and manufacturing set up was discovered in the abandoned bingo hall. The drug were discovered on 4th December and have an estimated street value of between £600,000 and £1million. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Police commented: “Around midday on Friday, December 4th, officers, acting under warrant, searched a disused bingo hall on Brown Street, Port Glasgow, and discovered a cannabis cultivation with an estimated street value of a six-figure sum.” Chief Inspector Cameron, the Area Commander said; “This is an excellent example of our on-going commitment to dismantle the illegal drug trade here in Inverclyde, we made a commitment to tackle this illegal drug trade and are fully committed to bringing those responsible to justice “.
Another bingo hall cannabis farm
This isn’t the first time a bingo hall has been used for drugs purposes, as in June 2019, an old bingo hall in Kettering was used as a Cannabis farm. This time, over 2000 Cannabis plants were seized and thought to be worth in the region of £3million. With many more bingo hall closures on the cards, sadly, these won’t be the only stories of this nature.