THE sentencing of two men involved in an 'industrial-sized' cannabis operation near Whitland will now take place at Swansea Crown Court on December 5.
Edward McCann was present in court and due to be sentenced today, November 8, along with his son Daniel for a drug operation on the outskirts of Pembrokeshrie that at one point had over £1million worth of drugs on the property.
Edward was present, but son Daniel was absent from court with self-diagnosed pneumonia - his defence solicitor said his client was advised by his GP to rest for five days.
Edward's wife, Daniel's mother, Linda McCann has already been sentenced for the crime, along with 'factory workers' Justin Liles and Jack Whittock.
Linda, 60, was sentenced to six years and seven months in custody.
Whittock, 29, must serve two years and 10 months and Liles, 32, will serve 22 months.
Between April 2015 and October 2020, Linda McCann, her husband Edward and their son Daniel, ran an industrial-scale cannabis factory from their property in Cwmbach, near Whitland.
Crown Prosecution said the secluded property had been carefully selected and purchased by their son specifically for the purpose of producing and supplying cannabis.
Police entered Cwmbach on October 23, 2020, after breaking through a locked wooden gate. There they discovered a large barn which had been meticulously converted into a state-of-the art cannabis factory.
It contained six purpose-built rooms plus a main room, all located on the ground floor, which contained a total of 202 cannabis plants in various stages of growth.
The 202 plants weighed in at between 30 and 40 kilos and had an estimated street value of between £321,000 and £460,000. Police also seized 80kg of cannabis products which had a potential street value of almost £1.5m.
Each room contained a sophisticated hydroponic system enabling the plants to grow without soil as well as specialist lighting, humidifiers and fans.
The mains powerline had been illegally bypassed while CCTV cameras which surrounded the property had been manipulated with the result that they only recorded at certain times of the day.
An industrial oven was found to contain tins with cannabis residue which were used to produce ‘cannabis edibles’ including chocolate while a magnifying glass and secateurs used to trim the cannabis were found lying on a kitchen table.
Officers also discovered a large number of empty tins and two tin-sealing machines which confirmed that the enterprise was supplying tinned cannabis for greater longevity and a cannabis oil extractor.
A number of text message were found on the accused's mobile phones.
These related to how the family had carefully chosen the property, their discussions concerning their plans for its development as well as business transactions.
One text told of how ‘one spliff had managed to knock out three people’ while another questioned whether the Welsh market would be sufficient to maintain their ever-expanding business and stated ‘If the Welsh market isn’t big enough, then Surrey will take it’.
Edward McCann, of Cwmbach, and Daniel McCann, of Waterlooville, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to conspiring to produce cannabis between April 1, 2015 and October 24, 2020, conspiring to supply cannabis between the same dates and acquiring criminal property in relation to the cannabis production.
They are set to be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on December 5.
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