TWO Crowland men who admitted producing cannabis with a potential street value of more than £88,000 were yesterday spared jail.
Danny White (25) and Benjamin Ansell ( 23) were caught after Cambridgeshire Police asked Lincolnshire officers to raid their neighbouring flats in Horseshoe Court.
Lincoln Crown Court heard officers found 198 cannabis plants during a search of White’s home – with 48 “medium sized plants” in a back bedroom and a further 150 “small plants” located inside an airing cupboard.
There was also associated equipment for lighting, heating and watering.
Laura Pitman, prosecuting, said: “The set up was very professional. There was a watering system on timers, two separate grows and an air extractor to hide the cannabis smell.”
Forensics expert estimated the plants had a potential yield of 8.85kgs.
Miss Pitman said a police expert estimated the potential value of the cannabis at £88,500.
When police searched Ansell’s flat next door they found cannabis growing equipment hidden under his bed.
During interview White told police he was given the plants to grow by people he would not name after running up a £2,000 debt. White insisted he knew little about cannabis and did not even use the drug.
Ansell admitted he had supplied some of the equipment to White and had helped to set up the lighting system.
Chris Lowe, mitigating for White, said: “Mr White had little knowledge about cannabis and was not to benefit directly from its sale.”
Liz Hart, mitigating for Ansell, said he had now moved out of Crowland and was helping to care for his mother.
White, of Horseshoe Court, admitted producing cannabis following the raid on 18 January.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 150 hours’ of unpaid work and made the subject of a two-month nightly curfew.
Ansell, now of Battlefields Lane South, Holbeach, admitted the same charge and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 100 hours’ of unpaid work.
Both men were also ordered to pay £200 costs.
Passing sentence Recorder Chrsitopher Goodchild said he accepted White had played a “lesser role.”
Recorder Goodchild told him: “Those who you owed money to had control over you. You allowed them to set up a substantial cannabis operation that could have produced cannabis worth over £88,000.”