TWO men were jailed for operating a cannabis factory which produced an almost ‘industrial’ quantity of the class-B drug.
Ricky Paul, 33, of The Heights, Harrow, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, after a two-day trial at Harrow Crown Court found him guilty of cannabis production alongside David Patterson, 28, of Ribblesdale Road, Tooting, who was imprisoned for 32 months.
The two men were arrested in May after a search warrant was executed at an address in Cumberland Road, Harrow, and officers discovered more than 500 cannabis plants growing within four rooms.
The warrant was granted to officers after they noticed a potent smell of cannabis coming from the Cumberland Road address.
The Air Support Unit, using heat-seeking technology, confirmed that there was a considerable amount of heat coming from the rood of the address.
Paul has previous drug-related convictions and Patterson was on a suspended sentence for a driving related offence, which was re-activated upon being sentenced.
On handing out their sentences, Judge Curtis-Raleigh described the house as having been converted into a ‘substantial’ cannabis factory.
He said: “This was a substantial operation with potential profits running in to tens of thousands of pounds, just short of industrial quantities.”
