Warwickshire Justice Centre
A NUNEATON man who turned most of his rented business unit into a cannabis factory to pay off massive gambling debts has lost again.
Richard Darlison, aged 43, of Camp Hill Road, Nuneaton, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty at Warwick Crown Court to producing cannabis.
Prosecutor Rupert Jones said that in October last year the police went to a large unit in Tenlons Road which was rented by Darlison.
He let part of it to be ran as the Tackle Shack fishing supply shop from there, and used the rest of it himself.
When the police forced their way into that area through a padlocked door they found it had been divided into three rooms, all of which were being used as a cannabis factory.
The windows had all been boarded up, there was an electrical circuit board, and a water system had been fed into the rooms through the ceiling.
The first room had just one growing tent in it containing four pots with root balls in them but no actual plants, while the second had four tents with 24 root balls in pots.
But in the third room the officers found six tents, one of which had 44 cannabis plants which were being dried, and the others contained 20 growing plants about four feet tall.
Between them the 64 growing and drying plants would have produced around 2.88 kilos of cannabis with a street value of £28,800 while the 28 plants from the previous crop would have been worth up to £12,600.
Mr Jones said the prosecution did not accept Darlison’s assertion that he was coerced into producing the cannabis.
Robert Hodgkinson, defending, pointed out: “He on his own admission was solely operating what was going on and had planted the plants.”
But Recorder Andy Easteal observed: “It’s unlikely he could have put all of this together without someone higher up in a hierarchy.”
Mr Hodgkinson said Darlison had become the tenant of the unit when it was virtually derelict about eight years ago, paying £900 a quarter, and he and friends put in walls and windows.
He used it to run his own off-road motorcycle shop, but the business ‘did not prosper,’ and three years ago part of the unit was used to begin running the Tackle Shack and Darlison was taken on to work in the shop.
But in 2012 Darlison suffered a number of bereavements among both members of his family and friends, which led to him drinking and then playing cards with people he met in the pub.
At first he won small amounts, but once the stakes increased he began to lose, and ended up owing around £20,000.
Mr Hodgkinson said Darlison was under pressure and facing threats to pay his debts.
He added that Darlison, has addressed his gambling and alcohol problems.
But jailing Darlison, Recorder Easteal told him: “It is a regrettable serious matter which brings you before the court. It was an operation capable of producing significant quantities of cannabis for commercial use.
“At some time you suffered a series of tragedies. You were seen to be drinking heavily and gambling, and you got heavily into debt.
“I do accept you were not the leading mind behind this, and that some pressure was brought to bear. It was a commercial enterprise, but not principally your commercial enterprise.
“We are all aware that you can’t watch a football match on television without being implored to gamble.
“But the court has to make it plain that if you get into debt there are legitimate means to deal with it.
“You chose the wrong course.
“It’s said you’ll lose your home if you are jailed; but I have a public duty. I am unable to suspend the sentence.”
Nuneaton man jailed after turning unit into cannabis factory
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