Detective lifts the lid on dangers of drug farms
IT’S ABOUT CHANGING ATTITUDES FROM ‘IT’S ONLY CANNABIS’
A NOTTINGHAM detective has explained the significant role cannabis farms play in wider areas of crime, and the importance of changing attitudes towards it.
Detective Constable Nick Gray spent the best part of a year building a case around a large organised cannabis group which lead to the conviction of several men.
At the point of interception, police estimated £700,000-worth of the class B drug was seized along with equipment for growing in the drugs conspiracy that ran from September 2019 to April 2020.
Following the sentencing of the final six men involved on Friday, April 23, DC Gray spoke about what the crucial pieces of evidence were in the case.
He has also opened up on what he has learned about cannabis operations and why people should take them more seriously. “Cannabis farms are so dangerous – there is no safe way of doing it,” he said.
“Cannabis growers use so much electricity, because it’s all about profit. All cases are different, but from my experience, they choose rented properties and sometimes hire cars, and they go under the radar.
“They can also get rid of these quickly if needed, wrecking the homes in the process.
“You’d think it would be flagged by the electric companies but they don’t, and that’s why communities are very important,” DC Gray added.
“Looking out for closed curtains and windows when it’s the middle of summer – people start to wonder what’s going on behind these closed doors.”
In this case, three properties were said to have been “handed over” completely to growing marijuana plants, and in the process, electricity was bypassed, water systems created, and sheeting put up around the properties.
These present a real fire hazard that potentially puts neighbours at risk. In addition, even people within the operation may not all be culpable. Part of the investigation DC Gray was involved heavily with was establishing a hierarchy and, within it, there were people who had become victims.
“The jury and prosecution need to know who has played what part for sentencing,” he said.
“But in this case, we did also have one member who said they were a victim of modern slavery which has been an emerging issue.
“They were able to show proof of this and it was dealt with accordingly, but it goes some way to showing the reality.”
The offenders in this case were all Albanian and will face deportation after serving half their sentence in custody here.
“We tend to see fake IDS, fake documents, so their names are hard to trace,” DC Gray said. “But now we have their fingerprints, in future they shouldn’t be able to return.
“The sentencing might not be the biggest, but the Home Office should look to deport them, and that shows you can’t come into Nottinghamshire or anywhere to run a cannabis operation.
“Overall, this case outcome was satisfying after a lot of work, and it did lead to the majority of convicts hopefully never coming back to Nottinghamshire.
“It’s still a crime and it funds a lot of other areas of crime,” he added. While there is the satisfaction of seeing a case through to sentencing, DC Gray’s work continues and one of his ambitions is also that attitudes will start to change.
“The foreign nationals involved in operations like this have come here for that one reason. They may be able to fund their lifestyle, but what else is happening with that money?” he added. “Most likely it is sent back to countries like Albania in this case, where there is probably a way bigger crime group, but people will still say ‘what’s the problem?’
“It’s all part and parcel of a big issue – I see this as just taking one cog out of the machine. “It’s about disrupting these people from thinking they are untouchable, and sending that message out.
“It’s about changing attitudes from ‘it’s only cannabis.’ “These people aren’t putting money or anything back into our communities. “They certainly aren’t funding parks.
“I just hope we’ve done some good and helped those areas who have had to put up with this.” *The six men involved in this case were sentenced to up to 16 years between them on April 23.
Cannabis farms are so dangerous - there is no safe way of doing it
Detective Constable Nick Gray