Leisure centre gym turned into huge £1.65m cannabis factory
AGYM at a former leisure centre was converted into an “industrial scale” drugs factory containing £1.65m worth of cannabis.
Abdul Manuf and Mohammed Nawaz were jailed for their roles in a huge conspiracy that saw police carry out raids across England and Wales during a three-year investigation.
Speaking at Cardiff Crown Court, prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “This case concerns the large-scale production of cannabis.”
The court heard the offending occurred between June 2011 and November 2014 and involved five sites in Leicestershire, Grimsby, Newport, Mountain Ash and Cumbria.
Prosecutors said Nawaz owned a number of premises, including Underwood Leisure Centre in Newport and Miskin Community Centre in Mountain Ash. Police raided the properties and found significant quantities of cannabis being grown.
Further investigation revealed Nawaz had leased the buildings to Manuf.
Mr Griffiths said more than 2,000 cannabis plants with a potential street value of £1.65m were found at Underwood Leisure Centre.
He added that specialist growing equipment worth £28,000, including heat lamps and fans, had been installed in the main gym inside the premises.
Judge Neil Bidder QC noted the operation there was on an “industrial scale”.
The court heard 457 plants were found by police at the property in Leicestershire, while a raid at a former bank in Grimsby revealed cannabis with a potential yield of 66kg. Police also raided a former dentist surgery in Cumbria and found scorch marks on the walls, suggesting there had been another factory there.
The court heard officers did not find an operative factory at Miskin Community Centre but uncovered evidence the conspirators were planning to grow cannabis there.
Mohammed Nawaz, 68, from Middlesex, was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to produce cannabis and was jailed for seven years for a significant role.
Prosecutors said he had a previous conviction for the same offence, which plants.
Abdul Manuf, 46, a taxi driver from Stoke-on-Trent, admitted conspiracy to produce cannabis and was jailed for 37 months for a lesser role.
Judge Bidder said he was satisfied the defendants were not the organisers in the conspiracy.
Their profits will be confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act and an order was made for the drugs and paraphernalia to be destroyed.
Speaking after the hearing Detective Constable Simon Reed, who led the investigation for Gwent Police, said the investigation took three years of “thorough” and “detailed” work.
He added: “These two individuals were part of an organised crime involved 12,000 cannabis group that used widespread criminality for their own gain. We are pleased with these sentences and hope they reinforce to others hoping to profit from illegal cannabis factories that we are committed to tackling illegal drug activity.”
He said such activity can have a negative and far-reaching impact on communities.
Iwan Jenkins, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said they worked closely with several police forces to organise strands of evidence, enabling them to present a “strong case” to the jury.
He added: “These two men were involved in the illegal drugs business, whether they actually grew the plants or not, and have now been dealt with for their criminal activities.”