County Durham office block was used as cannabis farm

The farm was found at Ridgemount House, Peterlee

The leader of a drug gang who converted an office block into a cannabis farm has been jailed for seven years.

Samir Baghdadi was convicted after about 400 plants were found at the building in Peterlee, County Durham.

The 55-year-old, from Hertfordshire, appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he was also received a Confiscation Order of £304,208.

He is believed to have had a network of "industrial-sized" drugs farms at properties he owned across the country.

Baghdadi's operation was uncovered after people noticed mattresses being moved into the vacant Ridgemount House office block.

'Skilled criminal'

Two storeys were found to have been converted into a drugs farm with sleeping areas, food supplies and cooking utensils on one floor - and cannabis on the other.

The building had been "modified" for the operation and the electrical set up was so dangerous the power needed to be switched off, police said.

The plants were estimated to have a street value in excess of £250,000, while the value of the equipment was thought to be worth £59,000.

After a trial, Baghdadi was found guilty and subject to a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing on Monday.

Samir Baghdadi was handed a Confiscation Order of £304,028

Det Sgt Jenna Cook, of Durham Police, said: "Baghdadi was an individual who moved into our area to commit his crime.

"He claimed ignorance to the drugs found at his property but through investigation he was shown to be a skilled criminal operating at a high level along with others."

Det Sgt Thomas Maughan, of the North East Regional Economic Crime Unit, added: "The Proceeds of Crime Act allowed the court to assume a proportion of this cash was from his drug trafficking even though he was only caught at this one office block in Peterlee.

"He owned several other offices across the country, and it's probable that at some stage these also had industrial-sized cannabis farms in them, or were bought for that purpose but never came into being due to his arrest."