‘Key men’ in £20k drug farm jailed
THREE ‘key players’ of an organised crime group - two from Rochdale - have been jailed after detectives smashed a £20,000 cannabis farm.
Mohammed Qabir and Darren Newey travelled into Accrington to set up and run the cannabis factory, police said after they were locked up.
In July 2021, the force received information from the local community about criminal activity taking place at a property in Garbett Street, Accrington.
Police forced entry and found Qabir together with Newey, Liam Davies, Anthony Evans and Carl Frost all inside the house.
Fully-grown cannabis plants with a street value of more than £20,000 were found inside, together with smaller plants. Police said the electricity meter had also been by-passed, causing a serious risk of fire to the site of the cannabis farm and surrounding properties. All five defendants were arrested and their mobile phones were seized.
In a statement, Lancashire
Police said: “Messages outlining that Newey, Davies and Qabir were key players in the OCG and the production of cannabis were found on their phones. Frost and Evans were shown to have lesser roles within the group.”
Qabir, 41, of Heath Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and extracting electricity.
He was jailed for 30 months.
Newey, 51, of Heap Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis. He got 27 months. Davies, 35, of Main Street, Carnforth, was jailed for 30 months after admitting the same charge.
Evans, 58, of Main Street, Carnforth, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and received an 18-month community order.
Frost, 37, of Waverley Avenue, Blackpool, admitted the same charge as Evans and got the same sentence.
PC Paul Wolstenholme, of the Hyndburn Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These men travelled into Accrington - an area in which they had no ties from their homes in Greater Manchester and the West of
Lancashire specifically to commit crime.
“They did not care about the impact of their criminal behaviour on the local community - a densely populated residential area which houses children and elderly residents.
“I would like to thank the residents who brought the activities of this OCG to our attention.
“I hope the action taken against them will encourage others to do the same, knowing the police will act on intelligence provided in the appropriate way.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden added: “It’s important that we send a clear message to criminals that police are coming to get you, and this is another great example of the work officers do, every single day, to disrupt and dismantle organised crime gangs and put them behind bars.
“I would encourage anyone to report suspicious activity, or any information that might help in bringing criminals to justice.
“We continue to go after more and make sure those involved in organised crime feel the full force of the law and have their day in court.”