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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Four men jailed after 'industrial scale' cannabis factory busted by police
CRIMINALS who farmed more than £3 million of cannabis in a large-scale drugs factory have been jailed. Four Vietnamese men who worked at the factory, at former commercial premises on Quarry Road in Gomersal were recently jailed at Leeds Crown Court. The men were all found guilty of conspiracy to produce a Class B drug following a trial which began on April 15. Inside the cannabis factory (Image: WYP) The convicted men, all of Quarry Road, were: Hoai Le Thanh, 41, who was sentenced to three years, seven months in prison. Hoa Hoang, 64, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Thanh Le, 37, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Khang Nguyen, 29, sentenced to 30 months in prison. Police from the Batley and Spen Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) executed a warrant at the former bed factory on Friday July 12, 2024. Officers located cannabis plants worth about £2.4 million inside the building, as well as already cut and prepared cannabis thought to be worth an additional £1 million. The defendants were arrested in the large-scale operation, taken into police custody, and later charged. NPT officers executed the warrant after pulling together various pieces of intelligence about a potential cannabis factory at the location and found a sophisticated hydroponics set up inside. They also found well prepared living quarters established for men operating the farm. Inspector Charlotte Nicholls of the Batley and Spen NPT, said: 'These men were working at a sophisticated operation which was capable of producing cannabis on an industrial scale, and we welcome their conviction and sentencing at court. 'We know that money from drugs production fuels serious organised crime in communities, such as County Lines trafficking and drugs related violent crime, so it is good news that more than £3-million of cannabis produced at this plant was stopped from hitting the streets." She added: ''This large scale case has been, unusually, managed by the neighbourhood team and I would like to give praise to the officer in the case, PC Kalabic, for his hard work and commitment to this complex investigation'. 'I also want to thank partners at the CPS who prosecuted the case at trial, and all those colleagues who worked tirelessly at the site for their hard work and diligence. 'Many thanks also to residents in Batley and Spen who continue to show real community spirit in contacting us with information and intelligence about suspected criminality.'
Japan Times
26-06-2025
- Japan Times
NPA to toughen ID rules for metal dealers amid surge in stolen AC units
A surge in metal thefts across Japan has prompted the National Police Agency to draft stricter identification rules for secondhand metal dealers in order to prevent the resale of stolen goods. The draft amendment to the regulations of the Secondhand Goods Business Act, announced Thursday, would require metal dealers to verify sellers' identities and keep detailed transaction records for at least three years. The revision targets specific high-risk items such as outdoor air conditioner units, outdoor electric water heaters, drainage grates and electric cables — all of which have become common targets of theft. The measure is expected to take effect on Oct. 1 and includes penalties for noncompliance. The move follows the enactment of a metal theft prevention law on June 13. The law focuses specifically on scrap metals, such as severed copper wiring, and aims to prevent thefts at the source. Thursday's regulatory revision comes amid a sharp rise in thefts targeting outdoor air conditioning units. According to the NPA, there were 3,397 reported cases of stolen outdoor air conditioning units in 2024 — an alarming thirteenfold increase compared to 2020. The copper wiring inside, which has surged in price in recent years, is believed to be the target of such thefts. Recent arrests have further underscored the scale of the problem. Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested three Vietnamese men accused of stealing nearly ¥1.2 million worth of copper cables from a closed waste disposal facility in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, among other crimes. Investigators believe the suspects are linked to dozens of similar cases across the country. On June 20, NHK reported that three Cambodian nationals had been arrested for copper wire theft in five prefectures, including Ibaraki and Chiba, with the damages amounting to ¥118 million. Information from Jiji added
