Seventeen held as cannabis worth £1.7m seized

Seventeen people have been arrested as part of an operation which saw cannabis plants worth £1.7m seized across Sussex.

Police swooped at 19 addresses, in locations including Eastbourne and Brighton.

Sussex Police said it found Class A drugs and more than £15,000 in cash as part of the operation last month.

A total of 1,740 plants were seized.

A search of an industrial building in Maple Road, Eastbourne, uncovered 500 plants.

Det Ch Insp Vicky Dias said: "The destruction caused by the illegal drug trade stretches far beyond the dangerous substances themselves.

"It goes hand-in-hand with violence and the exploitation of vulnerable people, including children.

"It fuels anti-social behaviour and other crimes that tear at the fabric of our neighbourhoods."

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