East Yorkshire man found guilty after £1 million drugs bust

Following a four-year investigation, an East Yorkshire man has been found guilty after being involved in producing an estimated £1 million worth of class B drugs in Hull and the East Riding.

James Gordon, 65, of Hatfield Croft in Great Hatfield, appeared at Hull Crown Court on Thursday 21st November and following a nine-day trial, a jury found him unanimously guilty of three counts of being concerned in the production of class B drugs.

He was remanded into custody to appear at Hull Crown Court for sentencing today (Thursday 5th December).

In January 2020, officers received a call to reports of a fire at Hatfield Croft in Withernwick. Upon attendance, officers located a vehicle which had been burnt-out.

The vehicle was found to be registered to Gordon, and subsequently, a Section 32 Misuse of Drugs warrant was then executed at an address on Anlaby Road, and upon searching the property, two of the flats were found to have been combined to make one large property, of which Gordon was the registered owner of both.

Whilst inside, officers located 259 cannabis plants at an estimated value of between £128,000 and £257,400.

Following enquiries, both the Hatfield Croft and Anlaby Road properties were confirmed to have been owned and lived in by Gordon at various points throughout the year, and he was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the production of class B drugs.

Gordon was released under investigation whilst enquiries continued.

Leading on from the discovery of this farm, investigations continued and in July 2020, Humberside Police officers were called to reports of robbery at a small newsagent on Anlaby Road where two suspects were seen to have fled to a flat on Anlaby Road.

Whilst in pursuit of the two suspects, officers came to a courtyard to the rear of the Anlaby Road properties and was trying door handles in an attempt to find the suspects.

This led to the discovery of the second cannabis farm where 537 cannabis plants were being housed.

Knowing this property was owned by Gordon, officers were deployed to his home address in Great Hatfield, and as part of a routine search, various electrical exhibits relating to the supply of drugs were seized.

This led to the second arrest of Gordon for being concerned in the production of class B drugs. Another man was also arrested and charged with the production of cannabis for his involvement in the July investigation and received an 18-month suspended sentence in 2022.

Fast forward to December 2020 and following a three-month investigation based on information gathered, officers conducted a third Misuse of Drugs Act Warrant at one of the flats connected to Gordon on Anlaby Road.

Here they found three rooms lined with plastic sheeting, halogen heat lamps, and carbon filter air filtration ducting in each room.

Electricity had also been abstracted dangerously.

Two more rooms had 291 cannabis plants being grown in soil and compost, filling individual pots. Two men were identified within the unit and were detained whilst the search was conducted.

Both men were subsequently charged and received nine months in prison for production of cannabis in April 2021.

Overall, 184 cannabis plants were seized, along with 50 heat lamps, and 26 transformers which regulate the heat for the lamps, all at an estimated value of £111,300.

In March 2021, Gordon was interviewed voluntarily where he stated that he lived at one of the properties at Anlaby Road, but evidence suggested that he lived between both Hatfield Croft and Anlaby Road properties.

In an attempt to evade and deceive officers, Gordon admitted that, as a landlord, he conducted checks on the Anlaby Road properties every three to six months, stating that the electrics had been tampered with on every occasion that there had been a cannabis farm discovered.

He maintained that he did not know about the farms as it was not his permanent residence. Due to the evidence gathered and checks into Gordon’s lifestyle and finances following his arrest, he was subsequently charged in January 2024.

Leading the investigation was Sergeant Caroline Atkins from our Criminal Investigation Department. She said: “I hope today’s outcome at court serves as a stark warning to anyone thinking it’s okay to produce any kind of drugs in our communities.

“Gordon was a deceitful individual, trying to evade officers for a number of months, and whilst investigations into these kinds of operations can be lengthy and complex, it was only a matter of time before our specialist trained officers dismantled what Gordon thought was an undercover, sophisticated set up.

“Whilst enforcement may not be taken immediately, I would like to reassure our communities that all the information we receive helps us build a bigger picture, ultimately allowing us to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and bring criminals to justice.

“I would like to thank our partners who assisted teams in carrying out several warrants in relation to this case, including Northern Power Grid, Hull City Council, East Riding Council and Home Immigration.

“My biggest thanks of course go to members of the public for their continued support, as without information from our communities, we couldn’t have the impact or the evidence that we do to get results like we have seen in this case.”