Covid call-out led police to Wakefield house cannabis farm

Officers were asked to attend the property on Duke of York Avenue on the evening of February 13, 2021, where Gary Young let them in.

They searched the property and found a small concealed room near the bathroom and found two people hiding and a small cannabis farm. It contained 12 sapling plants in individual pots complete with lamps and reflective sheeting, prosecutor Philip Adams told Leeds Crown Court.

Experts believe it was capable of producing more than £7,000 of cannabis if sold at street level. Officers also found a tub filled with 24 grammes of skunk cannabis and a mobile phone belonging to Young which contained messages showing that he was clearly involved in dealing cannabis and amphetamine to "four of five" people.

Following his arrest, Young gave a no-comment interview, and was later released under investigation.

Then in February last year, during a police operation to smash class-A drug dealing in Wakefield, an undercover officer got hold of a drug-dealer phone line and made three orders in six days for heroin and crack cocaine. Young turned up on each occasion to hand over the drugs and take the money. Arrested, he gave no comments again during his interview.

Young has 31 previous convictions for 62 offences, including several for possession of drugs and dealing drugs. He was on a suspended sentence for violence against a former partner at the time of his latest offending.

The 55-year-old admitted permitting premises to be used for growing cannabis, being concerned in the supply of class-B drugs, and five counts of supplying class-A drugs.

Mitigating, Glenn Parsons said for the cannabis farm, he had clearly been "cuckooed" - forced to use his home for illegal activity. He said that Young would not have benefited from the potential profits.

For the heroin and crack dealing, Mr Parsons said Young was put to work to clear a debt accrued by his nephew who was jailed.

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Mr Parsons said Young had begun to address his own addictions but was expecting to go to prison, adding: "He is here with his bag packed."

Judge Christopher Batty told Young: "Drugs have clearly blighted your adult life. I do have to send you to custody, given your history."

He jailed him for total of 22 months, which included activating two months of his 24-week suspended sentence.