False hostage report leads police to illegal cannabis farm

While investigating a report of a hostage situation at equestrian company Platinum Stable in Riel on Monday night, the police stumbled across a fully equipped cannabis farm further up the street. The hostage report turned out to be a false alarm, but two people were arrested at the cannabis farm, Brabants Dagblad reports.

The police responded to the stables on Gilzerbaan at around 7:15 p.m. on Monday night after receiving a report of a possible hostage situation. While officers were trying to assess the situation from a distance, one cop clearly smelled cannabis. Firefighters helped the police to move a large barrel aside, revealing a space of 6 by 11 meters in which was a fully equipped cannabis farm.

"There was not a single plant in the room, but we are still investigating wether it was already harvested", a police spokesperson said to the newspaper. A man and a woman found on the property were arrested.

The police closed down the area around the equestrian company and a SWAT team raided the premises around 1030 p.m. No sign of a hostage situation was found. It is not clear who made the report. A police spokesperson would only tell Brabants Dagblad that it was a "serious tip". "There will be something behind this, but that is not up to the police to make statements about. That is privacy sensitive", the spokesperson said.