Four gang members convicted over cannabis

Four Staffordshire men who were part of a gang capable of producing £2.75 million of cannabis have been convicted at court.

Thirteen men in total were charged in relation to the large-scale production of cannabis on a Lincolnshire farm.

Nine of them pleaded guilty and two others were convicted by jurors following a two-month trial at Stafford Crown Court — two were acquitted.

The men were arrested in September last year following a five-month investigation as part of Operation Nemesis, Staffordshire Police's ongoing crackdown on drug dealers.

The gang was masterminded by Neil Bridges, 35, from Hall Lane, Hammerwich, and his right-hand man Peter Bassett, 46, from Kings Bromley Lane, Rugeley. Tony Mobbs, 46, was the owner of two properties in Lichfield Road, Barton-under-Needwood where he lived, which were used as mini cannabis factories while the massive plant at Angel Wells Farm was being set up. All three admitted conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis.

Shane Breen, 37, also from Lichfield Road, Barton under Needwood, admitted the production of cannabis.

The other men were Paul Hicks, 40, from Solihull, Robert Eyland, 34, from Minworth, near Sutton Coldfield, and John Stacey, 46, and his son Andrew Stacey, 28, also both from Sutton Coldfield, who admitted conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis.

Barry Brearley, 65, Charlemont Road, West Bromwich, admitted only conspiracy to produce the drug.

The investigation uncovered a complex set-up in huge barns at the farm in Castle Bytham with a potential annual cannabis yield worth around £2.75m.

As well as over 800 cannabis plants, officers discovered 1,600 empty buckets prepared for drug cultivation. The barns had undergone extensive adaptation – costing around £1.4m – with generators, fans, lighting and other equipment installed.

The investigation, led by Staffordshire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, involved more than 40 officers and specialist staff from the force, including financial investigators.

The farm's owner Iain Brown, from Chichester, Sussex, 60, was convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. His son Bruce Brown, 31, from Castle Bytham, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis.

Desmond Bayliss, 40, from Liverpool, was convicted of conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis while Russell Nicholls, 32, from Bilston, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis.

The convicted men who had denied the charges, will be sentenced at a later date.