£1.3 MILLION cannabis factory found as four illegal Indian workers arrested in Smethwick immigration raid

Police discovered the haul of drugs hidden behind a wall, which they knocked through to find row after row of cannabis-filled plant pots and sophisticated heating and lighting equipment.

Home Office enforcement officers carried out the raid at The Glass Works in Anne Road this week.

Of the four men arrested, three - aged 52, 43 and 19 respectively - had overstayed their visit visas and the fourth, aged 42, had overstayed his spouse visa.

Two further people were found and escorted from the premises as they had no permission to work there. They were a 37-year-old Indian woman who had overstayed her visit visa and a 39-year-old Indian man who had entered the UK without leave. However, these two were already known to authorities and have been regularly reporting to the Home Office.

A total of 18 immigration officers, five police officers and three PCSOs attended the scene at around 5pm on Wednesday.

Bosses at the site have now been issued with a notice warning them they face a fine of up to £20,000 per illegal worker.

A 45-year-old man was also arrested on the production of cannabis and officers seized an amount of cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act as it was suspected to be the proceeds of illegal working.

Carol Scarr, Assistant Director at West Midlands Home Office Immigration Enforcement, said: "Businesses and landlords in the West Midlands should be aware that they need to carry out simple checks on their employees and tenants or face a financial penalty.

"Our Immigration Enforcement teams regularly carry out operations such as this to make sure these rules are enforced.

"Using illegal labour is not a victimless offence. It undercuts honest businesses, cheats the Treasury and can involve the exploitation of some of society's most vulnerable people.

"We rely on information from members of the public and I would urge anyone with specific and detailed information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch."

Bosses at the site will now need to prove to officers that they carried out the proper checks on the workers, such as seeing a passport or other official Home Office document. If proof is not provided, this is another potential fine of up to £120,000.

The private residential landlord of one of the illegal workers, who was a separate individual from the business owner, was also served a notice warning that he is potentially liable for a civil penalty.

The landlord will face a penalty of up to £3,000 for his tenant unless he can demonstrate that he carried out the correct checks before letting the property.

All of the individuals must report regularly to the Home Office while steps are taken to remove them from the UK.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the arrests show how serious the Government is about putting a stop to illegal working in the UK.

He said: "Our Immigration Enforcement teams work not only in the West Midlands but across the UK, and will continue to clamp down on unscrupulous employers, landlords and immigration offenders who think they can cheat the rules.

"Express and Star readers will know that the West Midlands has been at the forefront of a key piece of legislation – the Right to Rent scheme, which was introduced in this region last year. We have recently announced that the new rules, which mean landlords will have to check that their tenants have the right to reside in the UK or face a penalty of up to £3,000, will roll out to the rest of England on February 1 next year. As readers will see from today's headlines, this is legislation which we are actively enforcing in the West Midlands."

The Glass Works is a plastic container factory.

The raid comes following another in August that saw three people arrested in Blackheath. A pizza takeaway and clothing firm was found to be employing people who had overstayed their visas. Bosses faced fines of up to £60,000 under illegal employment laws.