Hand over £12, man involved in £50k cannabis farm told
Stephen James
Stephen James
A man involved running a cannabis factory at a rural farm which could have produced more than £50,000 in drugs has been ordered to hand over £12.28p.
Handyman Stephen James, 56, set up and equipped two shipping containers so they could be used for the production of the drug, a judge who jailed him for three years ruled.
Now James, whose address was given in court as Hill Corner Farm, Bradford Leigh, Bradford on Avon and who is still serving the sentence, has been ordered to hand over the amount at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.
Despite the fact the 'commercial' operation could have yielded drugs worth £53,800 in street deals it was agreed James' benefit from crime was just £7,280.
And because he only had £12.28 to his name Judge Peter Blair QC ordered he had that over in the next two months or face a further seven-day jail term.
James, of Bradford Leigh, had pleaded not guilty to a charge producing a class B drug but was convicted following a trial at Swindon Crown Court in March.
When police raided Leigh House Farm Liveries in September 2012 they found the two large containers had been converted for the use in drug production.
They had been fitted with electricity for heat and lighting as well as ventilation systems to enable the production of the 222 plants.
James was caught after his fingerprints and DNA were found inside the units and though he denied any wrongdoing a jury did not believe him.
The cannabis found in the containers were at various stage of development, from seedlings to mature plants, and could have yielded £53,800 in street deals.
James was responsible for the day to day care of the plants.
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