Vast cannabis farm with 8,000 plants worth £2million found tucked away on industrial estate (and it even had FOUR live-in gardeners and a gym)




Police have uncovered one of Britain's biggest ever cannabis farms hidden in an Essex warehouse.

They found 8,000 plants with a potential street value of £2million. Detectives described the find as 'one of the biggest and most sophisticated cannabis factories in the country'.

A police officer examines the cannabis plant. Detectives believe £10,000 of electricity was stolen every month to power the hundreds of lights needed to grow the crop One of the 10 rooms in the warehouse which had been specially adapted to house the plants, which were at varying stages of development

Ten rooms had been specially adapted to house the plants, which were at varying stages of development. They would have produced 280kg of drugs.

Officers said the operation was one of the most sophisticated they had ever come across. Four live-in gardeners are understood to have slept on the premises to tend the plants. Police also discovered an on-site gym.



Police believe it cost between £250,000 and £500,000 to kit out the building, in Heybridge, Essex.

They also claim that £10,000 of electricity a month to power the lights had been used by digging into a main cable.

Officers found evidence of a previous harvest and believe the factory had been in operation since July. They say they acted on 'local information' but had no idea they'd find drug production on an industrial scale.

It rivals in size a cannabis factory in Macclesfield, Cheshire, also with 8,000 plants, which caught fire in October 2008 after the electricity meter was bypassed.

Insp Nigel Cockrell, of Maldon police, said: 'It's the biggest ever factory in Essex and one of the biggest and most sophisticated in the country.

'They had all the materials they needed to grow this stuff, all the chemicals. They had dug straight into the main electricity cable, which is very dangerous, and there is a massive bill they are now liable for.'

The warehouse is to the right of the picture. It rivals in size a cannabis factory found in Cheshire which caught fire in 2008 after the electricity meter was bypassed

He said there were 1,000 ultraviolet lights in use, each costing at least £180.

Officers believe the find was part of a national network.

Insp Cockrell said: 'The expectation was we might find some cannabis. We had no idea of the scale of it. It's a warehouse on an industrial estate and deliveries would have been in boxes, which wouldn't look unusual or be suspicious.'

Four men have been charged with drug cultivation offences.

Vue Ho, 22, Hung Tran, 43, Tuan Le, 40, and Ngnyen Doan, 18, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Tran admitted cultivating drugs and will appear for sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court, on January 6.

Ho, Le and Doan denied the offences and will appear at Witham Magistrates' Court via video link on December 8. No bail applications were made. Deportation notices were served.