Colchester: The inside of the £2m cannabis farm seized by police

More than 6,000 plants were found in a disused building in Hythe Station Road, Colchester, last April. 

On Tuesday, Rition Mone was sentenced to three years and two months imprisonment at Ipswich Crown Court after admitting a single charge of producing a Class B drug.

Mone, 26, was an Albanian illegal immigrant who had been smuggled into the UK and put to work tending to the plants.

Mone had told police officers he had come to the UK for a better life and was put to work at the cannabis factory to pay back the cost of his transport.

The court heard the plants seized would have yielded more than 11kg of cannabis, worth between £1.2m and £2.4m on the streets.

The inside of the cannabis farm found in a disused building

Thirteen individual rooms had been set up with plastic sheeting, windows covered with lighting set up.

A ventilation system was in place extracting air from each of the rooms, while gardening equipment was found.

Police also found a makeshift living quarters had been set up for approximately six people.

Work to dismantle the cannabis farm was yesterday described as an important step in tackling violent crime.

Read more: Cannabis farmer tended to 6,500 plants in 'industrial-sized' drugs factory

Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, Colchester’s district commander, praised the “excellent police work” which led to the discovery in April last year.

He said: “This is an example of excellent police work which led to the discovery of a very significant cannabis cultivation.

“As a result of the excellent work, officers were very quickly able to apprehend Mone, charge him and put him before the court.

Rition Mone

“The trade in illegal drugs, no matter what class they are in, is inextricably linked to violence and the proceeds from drugs funds more criminal activity which leads to fear and misery for individuals and communities.

“Stopping the people behind the growth and sale of cannabis is vital in tackling violent crime and helps keep our community safe.”

Earlier this month police shredded about 500 cannabis plants which had been found in a flat above the Poppins Café and Restaurant in Colchester High Street.

Onlookers watched as the drugs from the farm were destroyed in the middle of the town centre.

-

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our court and crime newsletter here.

Keep up to date with all the latest crime and court news with our dedicated Facebook page.