Leicester man jailed over decade-long cannabis operation

Amrit Pal ran an illicit cannabis operation from two units in Leicester

A man who ran an operation selling cannabis-based products across the UK for 12 years has been jailed.

Amrit Pal admitted producing and selling items from units in Leicester, in what police described as a "professional-level" illicit business.

Products were claimed to cure hair loss and skin conditions, and social media influencers were used to promote them.

Pal, 34, of Brent Knowle Gardens, Leicester, was jailed for eight years at the city's crown court.

Leicestershire Police seized packages containing cannabis and THC-based products in Northamptonshire in March 2020.

Detectives found numerous promotional videos and images of cannabis production in Pal's possession.

At two units in Leicester, officers recovered drugs with an estimated street value in excess of £172,000.

Often Pal promoted the products as having medicinal benefits.

Pal promoted the cannabis products to have medicinal benefits, including curing hair loss and skin conditions

Police estimated he had an income in excess of £800,000 over 12 years, which he spent on high-end hotels, lavish holidays and designer clothing.

Pal was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to production and supply of class B drugs between July 2011 and February 2023.

Another man, Manjeet Behal was linked to Pal during the investigation and police found a number of cannabis plants and cultivating equipment at his home in Uppingham Road, Leicester.

The 36-year-old admitted producing and supplying a class B drug and was jailed for two years and six months.

Det Con Owen Bird said officers had to look at more than 5,000 images and 600 videos over a 12-year period, and that Pal had continued to offend even when released under investigation by police.

"He had no regard for his actions and the health risks his products posed to customers," he added.