Man who grew cannabis to repay drug debt is sentenced

A man who admited growing cannabis to repay drug debt and overpay his mortgage, has been sentenced at crown court.

Officers in Essex Police’s Proactive Money Laundering Team (PMLT) launched an investigation into David Haynes who was producing cannabis from an outbuilding to the rear of a house in South End Road, Hornchurch, a house that he owned but rented out.

David Haynes attended the outbuilding on five occasions between 29 December 2023 and 21 January 2024, just one day before his arrest. On each occasion he arrived in his van and left several hours later, taking with him several cardboard boxes.

On the day of the warrant, officers found out for themselves just how extensive the cannabis production was. In one room of the outbuilding, officers found almost 6,000 sapling cannabis plants and in a second room 122 larger plants.

The rooms were specially adapted to cultivate the plants with air circulation fans, lighting timers, oil filled radiators and reflective insulation boards. Twelve lighting units, valued at over £1,000, sat alongside regular gardening products and flat packed cardboard boxes.

David Haynes was immediately arrested on suspicion of drug production at 7.35am on 22 January 2024 inside the outbuilding as he tended to the plants.

The investigation uncovered that David Haynes made payments amounting to over £58,000 into a mortgage account in December 2023. This was in addition to two earlier payments within the previous 12 months which amounted to a further £38,000 being paid off the mortgage balance.

During interview, he claimed that he was growing the plants to repay a drug debt.

David Haynes, 49, of Nelwyn Avenue, Hornchurch, Greater London, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, for cannabis production. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. In addition, he will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and comply with a rehabilitation requirement of 30 days.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Megan Tighe, said:
The drug expert witness attended the cannabis production on the day of the warrant and gave an estimated value of almost £70,000.
It was a very sophisticated set up and was well established – it was evident that cuttings were being taken from the larger plants to make new ones.
David Haynes couldn’t explain where the money for the significant mortgage overpayments came from.
It is more likely than not, that the money Haynes paid into his mortgage account could have come from his unlawful drug growing enterprise.
Drugs are a menace to society, and we won’t standby to let the drugs from cannabis growths like this to hit the streets where it could cause harm within our neighbourhoods.

A POCA hearing will take place at a later date.

The Proactive Money Laundering Team deals with complex investigations into serious crime, specifically targeting those who profit from their criminality. They are responsible for conducting warrants, arresting suspects, and seizing high value items and cash from suspects’ homes or businesses.

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