Derbyshire man jailed after cannabis farm discovered

A man from Derbyshire has been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison, after a cannabis grow was discovered in the house he was renting.

Luke Nixon's landlady and her partner discovered the plants during a routine check-up of the property in Nottingham.

Police officers found there were over 70 plants, worth a potential £64,000, on 5 February 2020.

Nixon, 33, of Market Place in Ilkeston, was found to be out of the country at the time.

He was later arrested by police in Kent, and returned to Nottinghamshire for questioning, when it was discovered he had images of the plants on his mobile phone.

He was jailed for two years and three months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (11 August 2021) charged with producing a class B drug.

Inspector Mark Dickson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Nixon was not only producing a significant quantity of illegal drugs but he also caused significant damage to the house in the process, including walls being left with holes in them.

“Finding the grow and damage to the property has caused the landlady and her partner lots of stress. It is something no one should expect when renting out a house. Nixon clearly spared no thought for them when he decided to use it for his own criminal purposes.

“The production and supply of cannabis can often be linked to wider criminality and that is why police take such reports seriously and put significant resource and effort in to responding when we receive such a report.

“I hope that this sentence gives Nixon time to reflect on the seriousness of his actions and the impact they have had. It should also act as a warning to others producing drugs – we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”