Jailed cannabis factory pair must pay £70K

Barney Jones who was convicted of the commercial production of cannabis at a trial in April 2013.

A couple who set up a cannabis factory in a bedroom at their Melton home have been ordered to pay more than £70,000 after being jailed.

Tracey Gormley (47) was convicted of the commercial production of cannabis at a trial in April 2013.

Barney Alan Jones (26) admitted the same offence.

Both were convicted of offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Jones was jailed for three years after admitting producing cannabis and Gormley was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

A judge has now ordered Gormley to forfeit £67,865.75 within six months, or face a further 20 months in jail. This was the amount she was estimated to have benefitted from her criminality.

Jones was ordered to forfeit £3,500 within six months, or face a further two months in jail.

Leicestershire Police searched their home in Cornwall Place, Melton, in September 2011, under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Officers discovered an upstairs bedroom had been converted into a cannabis factory with a full hydroponics set-up consisting of five lamps, transformers, extractor fans and a watering system to cater for 40 plants with an estimated street value of £16,500.

Further financial investigations found that Gormley owned two houses, one of which was owned outright and the other on a large mortgage. She made overpayments on this mortgage but could not prove where the money had come from.

Inspector John Gray, Commander of the Melton Local Policing Unit, said: "We executed the original warrant following information we received from the local community.

"The jail sentences and now these financial penalties should reassure the public that we will take robust action against the drugs trade in Melton. We will ensure that those involved do not profit from this trade, and we will seize their assets where we have the opportunity."

http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/news/local/jailed-cannabis-factory-pair-must-pay-70k-1-6248748 19/08/2014