House raid ‘led to other discoveries’

ARAID on an Oswald twistle house led police to uncover a major network of cannabis factories throughout the North West, a trial has heard.

Preston Crown Court heard that following community intelligence police raided an address on Roe Greave Road in February where a large number of cannabis plants valued in the region of £80,000 were found.

The discovery led to a large investigation, codenamed Operation Renard which resulted in the discovery of ten more cannabis factories and seven more properties which police believed were being prepared for the same purpose, the hearing was told.

At the start of a trial set to last several weeks, fourteen Vietnamese nationals face a single charge of conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, namely cannabis. They all deny the charge.

In his opening address to the jury, prosecutor Jeremy Grout-Smith described the alleged operation as ‘a big business’ and said at the time of discovery, plants were found which could produce skunk cannabis to the value of £500,000.

Mr Grout-Smith said that two of the defendants, Jack Nguyen, 30, and Trang Nguyen, 28, both of Webster Close, Bootle, Merseyside, were the ‘managerial side of the operation’.

He said the couple would use the website Gumtree to seek out suitable residential houses which were up for rental.

Prosecutors say they posed as a couple with a young child and used false documentation including passports and references to secure tenancies.

It is also claimed that they paid deposits promptly in cash and when police raided their Merseyside home, which is alleged to have been the hub of the operation, they found a sheet meticulously detailing when the rent on the various properties should be paid.

Jack Nguyen, Thanh Nguyen and 12 codefendants deny a charge of conspiracy to produce cannabis.

Mr Grout-Smith, said: “Following investigations in March this year a car was stopped on the M6 near Carlisle returning from Glasgow.

“In the car were Jack Nguyen and Trang Nguyen.

“There was £68,000 in cash in a bag in the car which it is alleged was proceeds of a crop they had just sold.”

Mr Grout-Smith claimed that the other defendants - eight men and four women - performed various roles within the network, including several who allegedly travelled from Merseyside to various locations to cultivate and water the plants.

Other cannabis factories connected to the group were discovered in Preston, Blackpool, Burscough, Liverpool and Birkenhead, the court was told. PROCEEDING