Hanley cannabis factory exposed after PC spots lack of snow on roof

A QUICK-THINKING police officer discovered a cannabis factory - after spotting vital clues in the snow.

PC Simon McTrusty could smell cannabis coming from a terrace property earmarked for demolition in Buller Street, Hanley.

The eagle-eyed bobby then noticed it was the only home in the road with no snow covering the roof.

He waited for backup before helping to track down drugs gardener Dinh Ho by following freshly-made footprints leading from the back door.

Thirty-six-year-old Ho was detained after a short chase and was arrested at 12.10am on January 21.

Prosecutor David Bennett yesterday told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court officers discovered the first floor and the loft had been adapted for growing the plants.

"Lighting, heating and ventilation systems were in place, and the electricity meter had been bypassed," said Mr Bennett.

In total 177 cannabis plants were growing in the house.

A laptop inside the house contained his fingerprints and they were also found on electrical sockets.

Ninety-one cannabis plants in the two first floor bedrooms had an estimated yield of between 5.25kilograms and 7.25 kilograms with a potential street value of between £22,620 and £42,480.

And 86 smaller plants in the loft had an estimated yield of between 4.91 kilograms and 7.13 kilograms, with a potential street value of between £25,000 and £40,320.

Ho told police he had been at the address for four months.

He said he was employed by an Englishman to grow cannabis and his food and accommodation were provided. He was to be paid when the plants had been harvested.

The defendant, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to producing a class B drug.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Ho played some role setting up the equipment but was not involved in by-passing the electricity.

He looked after the plants for between 12 and 16 weeks and, although he was promised £800 a month, he had not been paid.

Mr Cliff said Ho grew up in rural Vietnam and is married with two children.

He was promised good money if he travelled to Europe but realised he had been misled when he arrived in the UK.

"The work dried up and he was vulnerable to the suggestion that he should engage in criminal conduct," said Mr Cliff. He added that Ho is desperate to return to his family in Vietnam.

Judge Paul Glenn jailed Ho for 12 months.

He told the defendant: "I accept you were probably exploited by other people. There were a lot of plants, the yield and value was potentially significant.

"This was cannabis growing on a commercial scale."

Judge Glenn said Ho would be automatically deported after serving half the sentence.

He added: "I do not see why the UK taxpayer should pay to keep you and I think it is better for everyone if you went back to Vietnam."

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "While on routine patrol in Hanley on the late evening of January 20, officers came across a strong smell of cannabis.

"They identified the property concerned and confirmed a cannabis factory was in operation.

"Due to the snowfall officers were able to follow the offender's footprints and he was arrested in nearby Botteslow Street and subsequently charged and put before the court."

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk 21/05/2013