Man jailed after police find 'industrial scale' cannabis factory in former Barclays Bank building in Grimsby where front was 'growing tomatoes'
A VIETNAMESE man has been jailed after he was caught looking after a massive "industrial scale" cannabis factory in a former bank that could have produced drugs worth nearly £385,000.
A VIETNAMESE man has been jailed after he was caught looking after a massive "industrial scale" cannabis factory in a former bank that could have produced drugs worth nearly £385,000.
But a court heard he was the "cannon fodder" of organised criminals, taking all of the risks for none of the profit.
The sophisticated growing operation – on three floors of the site in Cleethorpe Road, Grimsby – made national news headlines after photographs of the hundreds of cannabis plants were shown.
The man, who lived at the premises and even had "sleeping quarters" there, later pretended he was growing tomatoes, a court heard.
But he was found to have looked after another cannabis factory three years earlier.
Quy Van Le, 31, of no fixed address, admitted producing cannabis at the former bank on August 4 as well as a similar, smaller offence in Derbyshire in 2011.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police searched a former Barclays Bank building under a drugs warrant.
All three floors of the premises in Grimsby were being used for growing cannabis plants "on an industrial scale".
Nearly 1,500 plants were found and there were many seedlings and cuttings. It was a "highly professional" and "efficient" operation, with sophisticated control of growing.
Le had "sleeping quarters" at the premises and lived there.
The electricity had been bypassed in a dangerous way and the cannabis operation would have used about £200 of electricity a day, the court was told. The supply company later had to make the premises safe.
The crops could have yielded 19,247 street deals of cannabis, worth nearly £385,000.
Le later claimed he had been offered £1,000 for a flight back to Vietnam after his "gardening" role finished.
Le was also responsible for looking after an "expertly constructed cannabis factory" in Burton-upon-Trent, Derbyshire, that was found in November 2011.
There were 167 cannabis plants and the remains of 176 earlier ones. The possible street value of the haul was £32,000.
His role in that operation was traced through fingerprints.
Richard Hackfath, mitigating, said Le came from a rural area of Vietnam and his family grew rice and beans.
He had some schooling until the age of 12 but was thought to have later paid money to be transported to Germany.
He claimed he was not involved in setting up the cannabis factories.
"He was simply there to water and care for the plants," said Mr Hackfath.
"He was the cannon fodder of organised criminals. He was expected to take all the risks in this enterprise and receive none of the profit.
"He has been exploited by other people to take the risks so they could obtain the profits."
Le had been in custody since August 4 and claimed he wanted to be deported.
He was jailed for two years.
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