|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Judge jails six for their roles in cannabis farms conspiracy
Yorkshire Post Saturday 13 Oct 2012 Jailing six men at Leeds Crown Court yesterday for conspiracy, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said the scheme involved significant expenditure and planning in order to produce "vast quantities" of cannabis. "Each of the defendants, I am satisfied, became involved for commercial reasons, to line their own pockets at the expense of those who were cannabis users." Two of the gang, Adrian Dickinson and David Graham, were even seen at the Grow Exhibition in Manchester in July last year which provides everything for indoor cultivation for traders and retailers. Graham had registered with the organisers in a false name, and their visit clearly "related directly to this conspiracy," said Judge Marson. Plants were found growing at two premises, one set up in an industrial unit in an enclosed yard at John Street, Heckmondwike, the other was in a terraced house in Park Crescent, Armley, Leeds. Both had mother plants from which cuttings could be taken and with the ability to restock "I have no doubt had it not been for the excellent police work and arrests in August last year this enterprise would have continued," said Judge Marson. He commended the police officers involved in the investigation and ordered the forfeiture of three vehicles, an Audi, a BMW and a Transit van under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Kirstie Watson, prosecuting, said police raided the John Street unit on August 11 last year and found two large rooms adapted for growing cannabis. In the main growing room 740 plants were seized while in the second, used as a nursery or propagation room, 560 juvenile plants and five "mother" plants were found. The potential yield would have a total street value of £452,571. On September 19 police searched the house in Armley and found six of the seven rooms adapted for cultivation, 722 immature plants were found with an estimated street value of £181,000 but conditions suggested an earlier crop had already been harvested there. On August 4 police had recovered 113 bags containing soil, root balls, plastic sheets, plant stalks and compost bags, dumped on waste land in Brown Lane East, Leeds, consistent with such a harvest and only hours after Dickinson and three of the others involved were seen loading similar bags on to a van at Park Crescent, said Miss Watson. Dickinson, 34, of Ebor Place, Hyde Park, Leeds, was jailed for six years after the judge said he had played a leading role in the organisation. His brother Aaron Dickinson, 26 of Withnell Road, Blackpool, received four and a half years and Graham, 26 of Cottingley Drive, Leeds was sentenced to five years three months. Judge Marson said they had played an "important role" in what went on visiting the premises involved. John Paul Newman, 37 of St Wilfred’s Crescent, Gipton, Leeds, who was described as the gardener at John Street, was jailed for four years three months, Carl Garrity, 32 of Templegate Avenue, Leeds who was only seen at the Armley premises received 27 months and James Weaver, 31 of Mount Pleasant Heights, Pudsey, Leeds was jailed for two years after he accepted buying some cannabis for resale. All admitted conspiracy to produce cannabis. After the case Detective Inspector Warren Stevenson of West Yorkshire Police's Crime Division said: "These men created a network to allow for the cultivation and distribution of cannabis on an industrial scale." "Each member of the gang had their own individual roles to play as they carried out this illegal enterprise in order to make a substantial amount of money for their own personal gains." West Yorkshire Police would continue to mount operations “to remove those who think they are above the law and bring misery to local communities through drugs and other associated crimes.” http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/judge-jails-six-for-their-roles-in-cannabis-farms-conspiracy-1-5021432
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!