A drugs and dog fighting ring was smashed yesterday as Police arrested four men and seized 130 cannabis plants and 16 pit bulls in a daylight raid.

Acting on a tip-off, 15 narcotics officers and four Police dog handlers executed a search warrant on Government property near Middle Terrace, off Friswells Road, Pembroke.

The cannabis plants, some up to four feet tall, and all of the animals were removed from the scene after Police swooped at 11 a.m.

The dogs, many of them scarred, are thought to have been used in fighting, with a canine treadmill ? a common piece of training equipment for those engaged in the sick 'sport' ? also recovered from the scene.

The presence of a large quantity of chickens is also thought to be connected with animal fighting, either as fresh blood for the dogs before a fight, or even for cock fighting itself.

Acting Inspector Steve Lightbourne from the Police Narcotics Department told that acting on information that cannabis was being grown in the area, Police were preparing to execute a drugs warrant.

When it became apparent there were also dogs involved, both the K-9 unit and Government dog wardens were called upon before the property was raided.

"We recovered around 128 plants from the site, ranging from four foot to siblings," he said at the scene.

"The plants were well hidden in a clearing behind some thick vegetation but didn't take too long for us to find.

"We also recovered a number of dogs."

Act. Insp. Lightbourne added that this was the second cannabis plant seizure in recent days, with officers recovering more than 250 in a raid in Hamilton Parish earlier in the week.

Four men were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of a controlled drug, with one of them also facing charges of obstructing the Police after trying to flee the scene when officers arrived.

Two of the men, who have connections to the dog, may face animal-cruelty related offences in the future after further investigations are completed.

Andrew Madeiros, chairman of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said that he was aware of the raid and would be keen to see prosecutions for animal cruelty.

"We are encouraged by this as we have been looking for evidence in relation to dog fighting for some time," he said.

"If there is any evidence of animal cruelty, we will be pushing for a prosecution. We would be very keen to see this happen."

Five pit bulls were stolen over the festive period in Bermuda and were thought to be heading for a grisly fate in the underground world of dog-fighting.

The Care and Protection of Animals Act 1975 covers dog fighting, beating, general ill-treatment, or causing unnecessary suffering, along with many other matters.

These offences may be caused by acts of commission or omission and in the case of dog fighting also include people who manage or assist in the management of premises used for fighting.