Gang sentenced for producing drugs in factory

The industrial unit was used to make the Class C drug etizolam

Five members of a gang involved in producing drugs in a factory have been sentenced.

Humberside Police raided an industrial unit in Winterton Road, Scunthorpe, in October 2019 and discovered machinery and raw materials to produce thousands of etizolam tablets - a type of tranquilliser and a Class C drug in the UK.

Hull Crown Court heard that the chemicals seized could have made up to £2.5m worth of the drugs.

Passing sentence earlier, Judge Mark Bury said the defendants had all "played a lesser role" in the operation and made little or no money out of it, adding they had risked their liberty for hardly anything.

Anthony Florides, 33, of Morley Road, Scunthorpe, was convicted of conspiracy to produce a Class C drug and conspiracy to supply a Class C drug following an earlier three-week trial.

He was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 25 days of community work.

Abigail Comerford, 34, of Peacock Street, Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce a Class C drug and conspiracy to supply a Class C drug and was sentenced to 16 months in jail suspended for two years.

James Raithby, 29, of Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce a Class C drug and conspiracy to supply a Class C drug and received a 16-month jail term suspended for two years.

John McCallum, 38, of Glen Bervie, East Kilbride, Glasgow, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class C drug and was handed a 16-month sentence suspended for two years.

Luke Jones, 31, formerly of Somerset Walk, Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce a Class C drug. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for two years and a fine of £2,500

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.