Derbyshire man jailed after he turned rented house into huge cannabis farm worth £64,000

A shocked landlady discovered her rental property was being used as a cannabis farm by tenant, Luke Nixon, of Market Place, Ilkeston, following a routine check-up at the house.

The landlady and her partner arrived to do a check at the home in Franklin Road, Nottingham, after they began to have concerns about the property.

Despite knocking on the door, the pair got no answer from 33-year-old who was supposedly living inside the house.

Instead the landlady and her partner tried their keys, but found that the locks had been changed and called a locksmith.

When he regained access to the property, the man discovered there was a cannabis grow upstairs inside the house which had caused “significant damage” to the property to make way for the illegal drug production set-up.

More than 70 cannabis plants, believed to be worth a potential £64,000, were seized by officers who were called to the property on February 5 last year 2020, along with equipment that was used to maintain and weigh the plants.

The electricity had also been bypassed and police noticed wires coming out of the electricity meter, which posed a significant fire risk.

The house was shortly made safe after the electricity company was contacted and the electrical supply cut, along with the drugs and equipment recovered.

Police then turned their focus to the hunt for Nixon, who was discovered to be out of the country at the time the giant cannabis farm was found.

He was later found in Kent and was arrested by local officers.

The 33-year-old was brought back to Nottinghamshire and interviewed on March 1, 2020, where it was uncovered that Nixon had photos of the grow on his mobile phone.

He was jailed for two years and three months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 and charged with producing a Class B drug.

Inspector Mark Dickson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Nixon was not only producing a significant quantity of illegal drugs but he also caused significant damage to the house in the process, including walls being left with holes in them.

“Finding the grow and damage to the property has caused the landlady and her partner lots of stress.

"It is something no one should expect when renting out a house.

"Nixon clearly spared no thought for them when he decided to use it for his own criminal purposes.

“The production and supply of cannabis can often be linked to wider criminality and that is why police take such reports seriously and put significant resource and effort in to responding when we receive such a report.

“I hope that this sentence gives Nixon time to reflect on the seriousness of his actions and the impact they have had.

"It should also act as a warning to others producing drugs – we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”

Man charged over numerous burglaries after allegedly targeting homes and cars in Chesterfield

Chesterfield drivers arrested for possession of suspected Class A drugs

Appeal after man caught on CCTV throwing paint stripper on car and house in Derbyshire town

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.