Four men jailed after discovery of Blackpool cannabis farm
The sophisticated cannabis farm was worth an estimated £200,000
A sophisticated cannabis farm worth an estimated £200,000 has been dismantled after police discovered thousands of plants inside an industrial unit in Blackpool.
Officers stopped a van near the unit on Squires Gate Lane at around 3.50pm on Saturday, 30 November last year. Inside were driver Ziming Guo and passenger Guoxi Wang, both of whom were arrested on suspicion of transporting cannabis.
When officers searched the industrial premises, they found five rooms across two floors filled with cannabis plants and seedlings.
The growing set-up included powerful lights, fans and ventilation systems, with the electricity supply dangerously bypassed to power the operation.
Two further men, Long Wen and Wenjun Chen, were discovered inside the unit and arrested at the scene.
All four were later charged with production of a Class B controlled drug and remanded in custody.
At Preston Crown Court on 7 August, the men were sentenced as follows:
- Guoxi Wang, 61 (pictured top left), of no fixed address – six years and three months
- Ziming Guo, 45 (pictured top right), of no fixed address – four years and two months
- Long Wen, 41 (pictured bottom left), of no fixed address – two years and six months
- Wenjun Chen, 36 (pictured bottom right), of no fixed address – two years
Police enquiries established that Wang and Guo were higher up the chain and instrumental in running the cannabis farm, while Wen and Chen were involved in maintaining the site.
All four men pleaded guilty.