Police raid uncovers “professional” cannabis farm in Halifax which could have netted dealers over £80,000

When police officers searched the large mid-terrace house on Skircoat Road in October 2018 they found nearly 180 cannabis plants being grown in five specialist tents located in the basement and attic areas of the property.

Prosecutor Jessica Randell told Bradford Crown Court today (Thursday) that the door to the basement was secured with deadbolts and a padlock, but inside officers found two grow tents containing 68 plants.

She said the electricity had been bypassed and when the attic area was searched a further three tents containing a total of 108 plants were discovered.

Miss Randell said the plants could have produced 9.68 kilograms of skunk cannabis which had a potential street value of just under £83,000.

Kristian White, 24, who was living at the house with his partner and young child, pleaded guilty to producing the cannabis on the basis that he owed his dealers £5,000 and was pressured into allowing them to set up the cannabis farm to clear his debt.

Barrister Camille Morland, for White, said he had put himself into a situation with dire consequences and had made some very unwise decisions.

Judge Andrew Hatton jailed White for 27 months and said the cannabis farm bore all the hallmarks of a fully professional set-up.

The judge said the potential value of the crop showed the size and scale of the operation.

“All of this cannabis would have found it’s way onto the streets of West Yorkshire bringing more misery to those people who used it and the members of their families who had to watch them suffer,” said the judge.