Two men who were arrested following the discovery of a commercial scale cannabis factory in a Suffolk barn have been given jail sentences totalling more than 11 years.
Police officers who went to The Haven in Capel St Mary in February last year noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from a large barn which was surrounded by CCTV cameras, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
Inside the barn they discovered 281 cannabis plants in two rooms which could have potentially yielded cannabis with a street value of between £50,000 and £150,000, said Hugh Vass, prosecuting.
He described the scale of the cannabis factory as “industrial” and said it was equipped with ducting, light bulbs and a sophisticated hydroponic growing equipment.
At the scene police arrested 44-year-old Hai Van Pham, who had been looking after the plants, and the court heard he had since been jailed for 32 months.
Before the court on Friday (January 8) were John Falzon, 31, of Mashiters Hill, Romford, and Bradley Derosa, 49, of Hook End, Brentwood, who both admitted production of cannabis.
Falzon also admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, cannabis and diazepam and was jailed for a total of six-and-a-half-years.
Derosa also admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and was jailed for a total of five years.
His wife Georgina Derosa, 36, of Pykenham Way, Hadleigh, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis and was given a two year prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours' unpaid work.
She was also given a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Mr Vass said police found text messages between Falzon and Pham about the cannabis farm and also found messages which indicated Falzon had been involved in the supply of cannabis, cocaine and diazepam.
Mr Vass said Georgina Derosa, who had been a tenant at The Haven, Capel St Mary, with her husband, had sent out bulk texts on her mobile phone to drug users and had employed a runner to deliver the drugs while Bradley Derosa had been involved in the supply of cannabis grown in the barn.
Benjamin Gordon, for Falzon, said his client had made the decision to get involved in the offences after accumulating significant debts.
Nicholas Whitehorn, for Bradley Derosa said his client had been struggling financially at the time of the offences
Sacha Bailey, for Mrs Derosa, said her client was the mother of three children who would have to be looked after by her elderly parents if she received an immediate prison sentence.
Following the hearing investigating officer DC Jared Fortune said: “This case is a fine example of the CID and the South Suffolk Scorpion and Sentinel teams working collaboratively with support from Metropolitan Police Officers in Romford to thwart organised crime.
"I am encouraged to hear that Mr Falzon and Mr Derosa have positively capitalised on the prison time they have already served whilst on remand and I hope the sentences passed today continue to allow these individuals to transition away from destructive and criminal enterprises.”
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