Seven sentenced for large-scale cannabis production

Seven men have been sentenced for their involvement in large-scale cannabis production after officers found more than 1,000 plants and £1.5m of cocaine.

Suffolk Police located cannabis factories in Crowfield and at Lavender Hill and Waterloo Road in Ipswich, and uncovered plans for a fourth site at Denham.

Warrants uncovered substantial quantities of cannabis, cocaine, cultivation equipment, mobile phones and luxury goods from the defendants' addresses.

Det Con Chris Townrow, of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "This group operated sophisticated, commercial level cannabis factories and exploited vulnerable individuals."

Police said the men, from across Suffolk, London and Nottingham, ran a "sophisticated" network using industrial units and rural locations.

On 1 April 2025, officers discovered about 230 plants at the Lavender Hill site.

More than 700 cannabis plants were located at a second factory at Waterloo Road, where a 38-year-old man had been coerced into tending to them.

A further 120 young plants were seized at a third site in Crowfield.

The men were arrested between April and September 2025 and charged in July and September.

When searching the bedroom of Michael Harty, 55, from Romford, east London, on 11 April 2025, officers seized a "significant amount" of cocaine worth about £1.5m.

All seven men pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to produce cannabis between September 2024 and July 2025 and were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday.

Harty received a 12-year jail term after also admitting supplying cocaine, possessing criminal property and producing class B drugs. Dean Yule, 52, of Kemball Street, Ipswich, was jailed for 10 years for offences including being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and possessing criminal property.

Robin Southgate, 55, of Portland Way, Ipswich, was sentenced to four years and two months for possession of criminal property, while Tuan Nguyen, 29, of Blue Bell Hill Road, Nottingham, received a 30-month sentence.

John Leighton, 36, of New Cut East, Ipswich, was handed a 10-month sentence, suspended for eight months.

Haydon Grey, 35, of Cardiff Avenue, Ipswich, received a 15-month term, suspended for 18 months.

Warren Sherman, 25, of Sheldrake Drive, Ipswich, was given an 18-month community order and told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Townrow said: "The sentencing of these seven individuals sends out a clear message that we will robustly deal with individuals that are involved in organised criminality and those that blight our communities by dealing drugs.

"Their actions brought harm to our communities and generated illegal profit."

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