Cannabis growing gang sentenced

Police first discovered the cannabis operation nearly three years ago

Five people have been sentenced over a £10m cannabis operation involving more than 6,000 plants across three sites.

Police uncovered plants at a rented Northamptonshire warehouse in October 2014, before finding more plants on a Lincolnshire industrial estate and at a property in Northampton.

Four men were jailed for between 40 months and six years and a woman was given a suspended sentence.

A sixth defendant, Duong Tuan Nguyen, is due to be sentenced on 5 October.

Forged documents

Northamptonshire Police first discovered the operation after concerns were raised by the public about a warehouse in Brackmills, Northampton, where 3,400 plants at various stages of growth were found.

A second factory containing 2,500 plants was found in the Corringham Road Industrial Estate in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, and 300 were uncovered in a raid at a property in St James Park Road, Northampton in June 2015.

Police said the group used forged documents to rent the industrial units from "unsuspecting landlords".

Two men were jailed for six years at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday.

Dinesh Khetani, 33, of Brent, London was found guilty of conspiracy to produce cannabis after a trial, while Peter Brown, 28, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, pleaded guilty to the same offence.

Kyle Nixon, 27, of Hoo, Rochester, Kent, and Warren Willsher, also 27, of East Ham London, both pleaded guilty to the same offence were and imprisoned for three years and four months.

Nicola Bowers, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to four months suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Nguyen, 21 and of no fixed abode, failed to appear at the original sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis.