Four jailed over drugs production
Suspicious activity inadvertently led to Northants Police discovering more about a gang
Four men have been jailed following pleading guilty to the production of a Class B drug after two of the drug gang inadvertently led Northamptonshire Police directly to one of their cannabis factories.
At 11.20pm on December 15, 2023, the Force received reports of two cars – a white Mercedes CL220 and silver Ford Focus - driving suspiciously around the Finedon Road Industrial Estate in Wellingborough.
The vehicles were located parked outside a business unit in Bevan Close, and as the Response officers approached, the roller doors were closed but the boot of the Mercedes was left open, and several black bags were inside.
A man – later identified as Clenn Dombo and the registered owner of the Mercedes – ran from the unit and discarded a pair of latex gloves before being detained and arrested.
During a search of the 27-year-old, officers found correspondence linked to an address in Knot Tiers Drive, Northampton, along with the key to the parked Mercedes, a bank card, and a red iPhone.
A second man and registered keeper of the Ford Focus, Kurt Waterfield, was also detained and when searched was found to be in the possession of the key fob for the unit along with a pair of latex gloves, a green iPhone, and the car key to the Focus.
When officers entered the unit, they discovered a cannabis grow on an industrial scale across two floors, while more of the Class B drug was found in a two-storey wooden outbuilding. In total, 452 plants worth up to £190,000 were seized.
A third man – 26-year-old Than Teung – was located inside the unit and promptly arrested on suspicion of cultivating a Class B drug - cannabis. He also had a black iPhone, which was seized by officers.
Following the three arrests, officers executed a warrant under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act at the residential house in Knot Tiers Drive, Northampton, where a second cannabis grow – 203 plants worth up to £32,000 – was found.
Minh Nguyen was found inside the address, which was covered by an extensive CCTV camera set-up. During his arrest, the 46-year-old tried to conceal a black iPhone behind a shed in the rear garden. This was also seized.
All four men were subsequently charged with one count of production a Class B drug – namely cannabis and appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on December 18, and their case was sent to committed to the crown court.
On April 19, at Northampton Crown Court, Teung and Nguyen, both of no fixed address, were sentenced to six months in prison for their role as “gardeners” in the operation after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing in February.
While on May 24, Dombo, of Link Road, Northampton, was sentenced to 10 months, and Waterfield, of St Peters Gardens in Weston Favell, Northampton, received six months after both admitted the same charge. Both were also ordered to pay £200 costs.
Waterfield was also sentenced to four months to run concurrently to the six months term, after the 22-year-old pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class B drug after 13 bars of cannabis resin worth up to £26,000 were found at his home address.
Detective Constable Neil Carr of North LPA CID Team, who led the investigation, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the members of the public who reported Waterfield and Dombo acting suspiciously as they drove around the industrial estate.
“It was as a direct result of their concerns that led to the discovery of the cannabis factory in Bevan Close and then the subsequent grow at the address in Knot Tiers Drive, Northampton, following the arrest of Dombo.
“People may think that the production of cannabis is a low-level crime, but what they may not realise is the significant exploitation and violence which is associated with the protection of such cannabis factories, which generate serious revenue.
“Tackling and preventing drug harm is a matter of priority for the Force and we will continue to act on information to disrupt those, often organised crime groups, setting up professional and sophisticated cannabis factories within our communities.”