Family ordered to pay back over £1 million from cannabis gains

A family who set up a sophisticated cannabis factory in west Wales, producing an estimated £4.9 million of products over a five-year period, have been ordered to pay back over £1 million of their profits.

Husband and wife Edward, aged 65 and Linda McCann, aged 63, along with their son Daniel, aged 40, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday 11 December for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in relation to the money they gained through the sale of cannabis and cannabis products.

The family had established a sophisticated cannabis set-up in rural Carmarthenshire, which was disrupted on October 23, 2020, when Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant.

Searching the isolated property in Blaenllain, near Whitland, officers uncovered a large-scale cannabis factory, where the family was producing herbal cannabis, cannabis resin and cannabis oil.

Six purpose-built rooms were identified on the barn’s ground floor, each with ventilation fans and growing lights. Over these six rooms were 202 cannabis plants at various stages of growth, with a potential value of up to £460,000.

Upstairs in the barn were industrial-sized ovens with trays covered in cannabis residue, a number of clothes horses being used to dry out cannabis, equipment for extracting cannabis oil from plants, and 80kg of products worth up to £1.5million.

Linda McCann was in the barn when officers entered, and was immediately arrested, along with Jack Whittock, of Llanteg, Narberth, and Justin Liles, of St Clears. She was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison for conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis between 2015 and 2020 and possessing criminal property.

Edward McCann was arrested in a house next to the barn, where a search uncovered £10,000 cash in individual £1,000 bundles in the front bedroom, and a cannabis-infused chocolate bar on the kitchen table. He was sentenced to seven years and seven months in prison for conspiracy to produce cannabis between 2015 and 2020, conspiracy to supply cannabis, and possession of criminal property.

Enquiries

Following police enquiries, Daniel McCann, of Waterlooville in Hampshire, was found to be the property owner, and was arrested in Portsmouth the following February. He was sentenced to eight years and six months for conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis between 2015 and 2020 and possessing criminal property.

Detective Chief Inspector Rhys Jones, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “This operation remains one of the biggest single warrants the force has carried out to date.

“The McCann family specifically picked out this property thinking they could come to come to a rural, secluded spot to set up an industrial-scale cannabis farm and go unnoticed. They were mistaken, as our officers and staff gather vital intelligence from even the smallest and most remote communities, and act on this to keep our communities safe.

“A significant amount of work went into this investigation, from the very start in gaining authorisation for the initial warrant, through to putting a robust evidence package together and securing charges and ultimately lengthy prison sentences against Edward, Daniel and Linda McCann.”

Value 

Along with a thorough investigation into the source of the drugs at the property, detectives also carried out financial enquiries which estimated the potential wholesale value of the drugs and products over five years could have been between £1,798,520.73 and £2,412,333.68.

During a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, Swansea Crown Court heard that the available assets were agreed to be £1,091,330.61, and were said to include the sale of two properties, Mercedes, Porsche and Harley Davidson vehicles, plus jewellery.

The family has now been ordered to pay back this profit.

Detective Sergeant Owen Lock said: “Ongoing work by our economic crime team has taken the McCann’s prison sentences one step further by making sure the family will also have to pay back the money and hand over the assets earned from their criminal activity.

“We hope this serves as a warning to others, and reinforces the message that you cannot profit from crime.”