Eight sentenced in major cannabis production conspiracy

Today (Friday 7 March), eight men who were part of an organised crime group responsible for setting up cannabis farms across the UK, have been sentenced to more than 28 years at Liverpool Crown Court.

The investigaton began in January 2023 when North Wales Police received intelligence from residents in Bangor about suspicious activity at a long-abandoned shop on the high street. Several men had been seen frequently entering and exiting the premises. Following further investigations, warrants were executed on 30 January, which led to the seizure of cannabis cultivations worth approximately £1.2 million.

Due to extensive modifications with cables and wiring, the building was deemed unsafe, preventing officers from completing their searches. A utility company later confirmed that the building's power source had been illegally abstracted from the high street. 

In the months that followed, additional warrants were carried out at other empty properties on Bangor High Street, leading to the recovery of a further £800,00 worth of cannabis plants. 

When officers reviewed CCTV footage, they discovered five men working on the high street in a liveried van bearing the registered company name 'Elev8'. The footage showed these individuals engaging in activities that appeared to be legitimate utility work. The men wore high visibility clothing and used signage to close roads, making it appear as though they were conducting legitimate work in broad daylight. 

Recognising the suspected scale of the operation, North Wales Police enlisted the assistance of NWROCU detectives to further investigate and address the extensive criminal activities they had uncovered. 

Operation Spark was launched, and NWROCU detectives began by carrying out further investigations and surveillance on Elev8 and those who worked for the company. 

During their enquiries, they discovered that one of the men arrested as part of the conspiracy had previously been arrested by Merseyside Police for unrelated matters. Upon analysis of his phone, a WhatsApp chat group named 'Elev8 Civils & Utilities' was discovered. Within the chat, the group discussed their work locations and shared multiple photographs and videos. 
 
Officers were able to evidence that the crime group's sophisticated operation spanned approximately 32 police force areas from Dundee to Portsmouth. Using fake company and liveried vehicles to evade suspicion, they dug up pavements to access live mains connections, which they then spliced to run a direct feed to properties they had earmarked for cannabis cultivation. 

In total, officers uncovered more than 100 cannabis farms, and seized cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to £21m. Most of the cannabis farms were occupied by Albanian foreign nationals, acting as gardeners. When interviewed, many of these individuals stated that they were trafficked into the UK illegally due to debts they owed.

On 8 February 2024, coordinated strikes took place across the North West and North East to arrest the 10 members of the crime group. 

At the company's business address in Wigan, police seized various diggers, breakers, generators, vans, motorcycles, and cabling.

Ross McGinn and Andrew Roberts were registered as Elev8's company directors. They played a leading role in the conspiracy, running the day-to-day business. They liased with other OCG's and directed the work to be carried out.  

Graham Roberts played a key role in the operation as a skilled jointer responsible for splicing and connecting the live cable to run the new feed to the premises for the intended cannabis production. 

Michael Ashurst, Greg Black, Lewin Charles, Aiden Durand, and Jack Sherry were all groundworkers for the OCG, responsible for digging up the roads and exposing cables.

Colin White, a former Scottish Power employee, stole equipment from the Liverpool depot to provide the vital cabelling equipment they needed to carry out the works.  

Another man who passed work to the crime group and is believed to have links with Albanian OCG's is being sentenced at a later date. 

Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo from the NWROCU's Operation's Team said: 

"This crime group ran a highly sophisticated but dangerous operation, operating out of fake utility vans, which allowed them to work all over the country without raising suspicion.  

"In WhatsApp conversations, we uncovered chats where group members sent pictures of injuries they had received 'on site' following electrical explosions. 

"Andrew Roberts posted a picture of himself with injuries to his face after failing to connect something properly, causing an explosion that resulted in burns. This highlights the dangerous and reckless nature of their activities.

"In total we uncovered more than 100 cannabis farms, with a potential street value of more than £21m. This investigation has dismantled a significant criminal network, preventing a significant amount of drugs from reaching our streets and blighting our communities. I hope today's sentencing sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such organised crime in our communities."

Detective Inspector Richard Griffth, North Wales Police said:

“This case serves as a warning to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in north Wales and beyond that we will take all necessary steps to ensure that those responsible for this criminality are stopped and put before the courts.

“I welcome today’s sentence handed to these men, as it shows that we, along with colleagues across the country, will continue to proactively target cannabis grows and serious organised crime.

“Thanks to the exceptional detective work of our officers and colleagues from other forces and agencies, we have managed to bring down a vast drugs network.

“The men in this case had absolutely no regard for the safety of the public or rule of the law and today it has caught up with them. We will continue to act on information to disrupt those who cause the most harm in our communities.”