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A drug gang who set up and ran a £2m cannabis factory in a remote farmhouse were jailed for a total of 23 years.

A “professional and commercial” cannabis factory was set up Bwlch-y-Gynog farmhouse in Saron, Denbigh .

The remote location was deliberately chosen to minimise the risk of being detected, and the gang kept a Rottweiler at the farmhouse as added protection, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Brothers Darren, Lee and Thomas Gray were among seven men who were sentenced for their part in the large-scale operation on Monday.

They had all earlier pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to produce cannabis between April and November last year.

Ringleader Darren Gray and his brother Lee also admitted charges of concealing a stash of £54,660 drugs cash found in Lee Gray’s Saab on May 9 this year.

The court heard how the cannabis factory was set up after Martin Bristow, who played a leading role, rented the farmhouse from his cousin.

When police raided the farm last November, they uncovered a crop of 295 plants with a potential yield of more than 14kg of skunk cannabis worth between £138,00 and £276,000.

Police said the “sophisticated” operation was capable of producing an annual yield of £2m.

The farmhouse was fitted out with several growing and drying rooms and the electricity supply had been tampered with to power the equipment.

Darren Gray, 29, of Capricorn Crescent, Dovecot, Liverpool, who was in overall control, was jailed for a total of six years – four years eight months for conspiracy and 16 months for concealing criminal property.

Martin Bristow, 41, of Prospect Vale, Fairfield, was jailed for five years and one month.

Joseph Wilson, 29, previously of Campbell Drive, Dovecot, gave an address of Libra Close, Knotty Ash. He was sentenced to three years four months.

Lee Gray, 30, of Coronation Drive, Prescot, who played a “significant” role in the operation, was sentenced to a consecutive two years for conspiracy and 16 months for concealing criminal property.

The final three gang members were recruited as labourers and had no managerial input.

Kenneth Lacken, 40, of no fixed abode but formerly of Dyke Street, Everton, was the caretaker at the farm and was jailed for two years.

The third Gray brother, Thomas Gray, 23, of Alton Road, Tuebrook, was brought in to harvest the crop and was sentenced to 16 months.

David Garland, 36, of Sedley Street, Anfield, helped with the harvest to pay off a drug debt.

He was jailed for two years.

Following the gang’s sentencing, Det Supt Chris Green said: “The discovery of the large scale cannabis production site at a farm in Wales has significantly disrupted the supply of cannabis in to our communities.

“This was a large and sophisticated operation capable of producing a yearly yield of £2m.

“I have no doubt that this was organised crime and the fact that we have prevented these drugs from reaching the streets, where they fuel so much other crime, is extremely satisfying.

“During the operation our officers seized just under £56,000 at the home of one of the defendants.

“This is money made on the back of misery that drugs bring to our communities and it shows Merseyside Police will do all it can to take action against those who line their pockets to the detriment of our society.”