Gravesend cannabis grower Ian McLaren has £15,000 in ill-gotten gains confiscated
Ian McLaren was running a small cannabis factory in Gravesend.
Ian McLaren was running a small cannabis factory in Gravesend.
A man who ran a small cannabis factory in a Gravesend house has been ordered to pay back £15,000 of his ill-gotten gains.
Police raided a property in Cimba Wood on April 30 last year and found Ian McLaren, 44, in the kitchen wearing latex gloves, a forensic suit and Wellington boots.
He was surrounded by cannabis plants, empty pots, ducting and growth chemicals and his electricity meter had been bypassed, which is common in cannabis factories.
McLaren, of Cambridge Street, Pimlico, was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on July 23 last year.
He received 34 months after pleading guilty to cultivating cannabis, abstracting electricity and possessing a weapon for the discharge of noxious liquid or gas.
At Maidstone Crown Court today (October 16), the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate successfully applied for a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
If McLaren fails to pay £15,220.19 within six months, his sentence will be extended by another 10 months.
Financial Investigator Sam Holpin said: “The lounge of the house had a tent with fans and lighting and yet more cannabis plants.
“The upstairs of the house had three rooms, two of them fitted with tents, lighting and fans along with empty pots.
“In total 115 cannabis plants and £4,885 were recovered from the property, and others in London and Gravesend.”
Police forces can apply for a confiscation order under POCA at a crown court to deprive criminals of cash and other property accrued through criminal activity.
Financial investigators look at bank accounts, houses, vehicles and valuables, even if legally held, to determine if these assets could be used to pay back the amount gained through crime.
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