'Industrial scale' Coventry cannabis network foiled
- Published
A man has been jailed for producing cannabis on an "industrial scale".
Nigel Barwell, 30, admitted conspiracy to produce drugs after detectives uncovered five sites in Coventry where he cultivated the drug.
The production line had the potential to net Barwell, of James Galloway Close, £400,000 a year, West Midlands Police said.
He was jailed for four years and six months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.
Two other men from Coventry were also jailed for their part in the cannabis network.
Nigel Jones, 22, of Hampshire Close, and Kyle Burton, 25, of Chapel Farm Close, admitted conspiracy to produce class B drugs and were jailed for three years and 11 months, respectively.
Det Con Rory Juss said: "A drugs expert estimated Barwell could have made upwards of £400,000 a year from his network of cannabis factories… and there was evidence in the form of text messages to suggest he was looking to expand his operation.
"Barwell is a career criminal, with a long history of offending, and there is little doubt that his drugs empire would be linked to wider criminality impacting on people across Coventry."