Paul Jones Evans who has been jailed for 14 months for operating a cannabis farm at Bwlch y Gynog Farm at Saron near Denbigh (Photo: North Wales Police)
Paul Evans, 50, admitted producing cannabis but said he was simply the gardener for others higher up the chain
A man who tried to pay off debts by setting up a cannabis farm at a remote farm told police who discovered it: “Well done, you’ve found it.”
Officers acting on a tip-off went to Bwlch y Gynog Farm at Saron, near Denbigh , and could hear a humming noise.
They found a concealed door and behind it were 85 cannabis plants growing in a hydroponic system with heating, lighting and watering.
An earlier smaller crop had failed, Mold Crown Court was told.
Paul Evans, 50, admitted producing cannabis but said he was simply the gardener for others higher up the chain.
Prosecuting barrister James Coutts said officers arrived at Evans’ rented home at 3.30pm on July 8 and Evans was the only person there.
He invited officers to look around and they found the plants hidden in a barn.
It was originally alleged that there were 92 plants but the prosecution had accepted his basis of plea that there were 85.
In his basis of plea he said he lived there alone, was unable to afford the rent, and relied on his parents for help.
He then came up with the idea to grow cannabis and was put in touch with someone but the first crop failed.
Evans, of Stockbridge Village in Liverpool, said he was blamed for that failure, became something of a scapegoat and came under pressure to grow more plants.
Defending barrister Simon Killeen said that it was conceded that Evans would have to go to prison.
His convictions, while some time ago, aggravated his situation.
He was doing it was reward but he was a man operating under the direction of others. He was the gardener with little power to influence those higher up.
“He did what they said,” explained Mr Killeen.
There was no duress to start with. But when the crop failed he came under some pressure to grow a larger second crop.
Evans had acted under some duress but knew he would make money out of it.
Police had investigated the issue and accepted that others had funded the operation. He would not have been able to afford to do it himself, said Mr Killeen.
Jailing him for 14 months, Judge Peter Heywood said he was being sentenced on his basis of plea – that he run into financial difficulties and starting growing cannabis. There were others involved and to some extent he was put under a degree of pressure.
It was aggravated by the fact that he had previous convictions for production and drug trafficking.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/paul-evans-denbigh-cannabis-court--12232198
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